Shadow Skill: Backup. Calls for the assistance of nearby nestlings but leaves them to fight alone as it flees.
Though Pidgeotto will claim a large area for their home, they will fiercely protect the nest, located in the center of the territory. Shadows, however, seem unconcerned about themselves and their brood, and will not defend, even if their own life is in danger.
Angel could feel Faolan's gaze on her back as she walked off, and a part of her wondered if he was upset that she'd turned down his offer to go with her. They may have spoken a lot while incarcerated, but he still didn't know much about her. If he knew even a tenth of what she'd been through over the course of her life, he wouldn't be able to handle it. Few would. And she wasn't inclined to tell a stranger such aspects about herself. In honesty, Ally, Jenny, nor Maya knew even one of the darker details.
She'd learned the hard way so many times not to trust her thoughts and feelings to people. Even those she felt she could trust, as she wasn't a very good judge of character. It was disgusting how easily people could manipulate others for whatever reason, and then, once they got what they wanted, or the person stopped being useful, cast them aside with no regard for the consequences.
Sylvie made a sound of concern as he wrapped his ribbons around Angel's waist, but she just shook her head. "It would be nice to have human company, but I can't risk it. Besides, what I said did make sense. The more of us out there stopping Team Rocket and the others, the better. Yeah, it's going to be dangerous, but anyone whom Giratina has visited knows the future we're against. Others will fight."
Again, Sylvie commented, and Angel let out a sigh as she rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine. I admit I do want him around. But is it because I think we could be friends? Or because I'd rather not be alone with my thoughts after all that's happened? The latter is a selfish move, and I don't want to use someone like that." Angel sighed again at Sylvie's response, but said nothing, for she knew deep down, Sylvie was right. But she just didn't have the strength to argue or even think about it right now.
Rosie spoke up in response to the silence, and Angel smiled sadly as she reached down to pet Rosie and Sylvie's heads. "I know, I know. Just, I guess…Give me time. Becoming a better you is the true reason behind going on your Journey. Everyone comes home changed in one way or another. Mostly in a good way. As much as I've wanted to, I'm not going to give up on life simply because things are hard right now. Even though sometimes it seems like the storm is so powerful it won't ever end. The way I see it, well…How to explain it?"
After a few seconds pause, she continued. "What do you do when you misplace or lose an item and can't find it? Eventually, you buy another to replace it. And what usually happens then?" Rosie cried out with a little hop, as if she was excited that she knew the answer. It caused Angel to chuckle before she continued. "That's right. You find the item the moment you bring the new one home. Life is like that, except that it's the better days that you've lost and can't see. It would be such a tragedy if one were to surrender, unaware that the storm was about to break."
Tragedy. Angel's thoughts turned to ten years ago when Cinnabar Island found itself decimated by a volcanic explosion. They moved the Gym to the Seafoam Islands and only began the rebuilding process a few years ago. Maya played a tremendous part in that. Her boat, The Swanna, was a freighter. Only those who were willing to carry their weight during the voyage were allowed to use her boat for passage. Not even Angel, her closest friend, was exempt from the rule. Due to most people being unwilling to lift a finger when it came to hard work, Maya was able to go about her business without too many problems.
As for Maya's contribution to the rebuilding of Cinnabar Island went, she regularly traveled from the island to the mainland for building materials, as well as to pick up new people willing to work for a few weeks and drop off those who had gotten hurt or were no longer of the desire to continue. When she returned to Cinnabar Island, even she herself would stay and help until they were almost out of supplies.
Maya had found a home on Cinnabar Island and a family in Angel and Ally. If what Angel saw at the Silph Company was true…Maya was both alive and allied with Team Rocket…Then it stood to reason Maya would find another way to get the next shipment to the island. She wouldn't let someone like Giovanni dictate where she went when. And if he dared to stop her, he'd be in for a surprise. That was one thing Angel loved about Maya. The fact that she wouldn't let anything stop her from achieving her dreams. Angel found herself amused at the very thought of Giovanni cowed by someone half his age.
The incident at Saffron City had only happened a couple of days ago. If Maya had stopped for more materials, it might be possible for Angel to make it to Cinnabar Island before her friend. And friends they still were. For now, at least. She knew what it was like to be judged without the chance to prove herself, and she refused to be that type of person. Thankfully, it was still early enough in the day for her to catch a boat out, so she began to walk down the wharf in search of a boat.
What she wasn't prepared for was the cold shoulders, snippy replies, glares, and other reactions that made it clear none on the wharf would help her. At first, she was confused, but then she remembered Jenny said that the person who'd burned The Swanna had silver hair. Jenny knew it wasn't her, but it seemed that the information hadn't gotten out to the public yet.
When Angel realized the wharf was a lost cause, she turned her gaze to the lake as she thought about ways to get to her destination that wouldn't require her to make the longer journey around the lake on land. As she stood there in thought, she remembered a story she'd heard once, about a Trainer who had used a Gyarados to traverse a lake to reach an island with a light tower.
She didn't know if Cinnabar Island was the same distance from her as that island was to the mainland. And even if she did, she'd be putting both herself and the Gyarados at risk. Without the knowledge of how to swim, it was too risky for her to travel that way. Not to mention the fact of the necessity to keep Gyarados' existence secret. Angel had heard no conversation in passing on the wharf about an oddity, so she either assumed Gyarados hadn't been around the area for too long, or there would be no discussion of any kind while she was present.
But why reveal himself to her? Had Giratina spoken to him to inform him of the safety she provided? Shadows seemed capable of understanding human speech, but were they able to communicate with other Pokémon? At some point, she'd have to find that out, though she also kind of figured her father, the scientist that he was, would put that to the test himself. Still, curiosity now tugged at her.
Wait. Didn't Ally have a boat? Angel shook her head. Surely that wasn't a very good idea. Jenny would still be in the process of making a statement for the public regarding the situation, so Ally should still be in the dark about it all. Then again, aside from herself, Ally was probably the closest person to Maya, and so would have warranted a personal visit ahead of any work done to ease the minds of everyone else.
Regardless. Not much time had passed since that day. Would Ally slam the door in her face or be willing to hear her out? She glanced down at Sylvie and Rosie, who merely stared at her, curious as to what was on her mind. But they didn't say anything. Instead, they chose to be catty and nuzzled her as they walked in and around her legs. They continued until they got a chuckle out of her.
"Don't know how you two managed to talk me into this, but I can't just not try. Especially when so much is on the line." To be fair, she didn't understand why she was even doing as Giratina asked. One person couldn't possibly have the power to change the world. And she was just your run-of-the-mill wannabe Trainer with no useful skills, and who constantly messed things up for herself and others. What possible difference could she make? Especially without friends in high places?
Sure, Jenny was the Chief of Police, but there was no way Angel would ask her to aid her more than she already had. Because of what she knew now, the more Jenny did for her, the higher the risk of being fired for her part in aiding and abetting a known criminal. And Angel's father might be a well-known and trusted scientist, but he wasn't one of those people who had the money or favors to call in. Well. A few. But she'd much rather him use those to help further his research, and not to bail her out of trouble yet again. Even though, she felt that there wouldn't be a next bailout for her. It was long past time she learned about consequences and accountability.
When her mind went back to not being able to do anything due to only being one person, the lyrics to one of her favorite songs came to mind. It spoke of a key that each person held inside of them, and how they could unlock it with belief in something with all their heart and soul. The song went on to encourage you to chase that belief until you change the world. For people like herself, it was a song of empowerment.
A memory of one of her voyages with Maya came to mind. The two were on the bow of the ship, and they headed past a beach covered in Staryu, Starmie, Clamperl, Shellder, Krabby, Kingler, and other Pokémon who made such areas their home. There was a single person who did nothing but walk up and down the beach, pick up beached Pokémon, and return them to the sea. Angel remembered that she'd asked Maya why the person wasted their time with that when there was just going to be more to save later. She'd also questioned if the person knew that they wouldn't be able to save them all.
Maya had replied: "They know some won't make it, and that the tide will simply wash more ashore. But just now, they gave those ones another chance to live. People say 'a drop in a bucket' like it's a bad thing, but it's not. It takes a lot of time and patience to fill that bucket with water that way, but eventually, you see results. Life is all about the small things. The compliment you give someone, or the five seconds you pause to smell the flowers, each day avoiding a bad habit or doing a good one, or every time you see something and think of your friend, partner, or family member. All those small things add up."
After a short pause, Maya turned to face her and added. "I want you to remember something, Angie. Never forget that choosing to do something when you can't do much is by far better than having the ability to do so much and choosing to do nothing. Or worse, making things harder on those trying to help."
Though her mind was now made up to go find and ask Ally for help, she didn't move. Couldn't. As her body was frozen due to the many possibilities of what could happen—all negative, naturally—going through her mind. By her side, her hands trembled, and she could feel her heart pound in her chest. She could feel the heat in her cheeks, and she suddenly could only breathe with rapid and shallow breaths. Tears filled her eyes as she hugged herself, though she knew it wouldn't do anything to calm her down. Arceus! It had been so long since she'd experienced an anxiety attack this bad.
She grunted as she was pushed forward slightly by Sylvie as he jumped onto her left shoulder and rubbed his face against hers. Due to the pressure on her shoulder, Angel lifted her arms up to move him off and then held him against her chest slightly tighter than she should have, but he seemed to understand that she needed to figuratively squeeze the life out of him just then.
Rosie's next words instantly drew Angel out of her emotional state of mind, and she frowned as she looked around. Where had Anya and Dreamer gotten off to? "Anya! Dreamer!" Sylvie and Rosie quickly joined in to call for their friends, but there was no response. Surely, they couldn't have gotten that far. After a few minutes, they finally heard Dreamer's cries and Anya's yowls. Angel let Sylvie go and then the three of them took off toward the sound.
When they came across them, Angel temporarily froze at the sight she saw. Anya was in a tree in front of Pidgeotto, who appeared to be a Shadow. Dreamer stood his ground against a familiar outline at the base of the tree: Maleficent. Notified of Angel's presence by the sound of her feet as she skidded to a halt just a few seconds before, Maleficent turned around…And smiled?
"Well. I'm surprised Jenny is still on your side. Then again, of course she would be."
"What's that even supposed to mean?" Angel frowned, completely confused at the question.
A shake of the head was the only answer Angel got before Maleficent gestured with her hand toward Dreamer. "Remove this creature from my path. Unless you wish for me to do so myself. Be warned, though. You definitely will not approve of how I do it."
"I will not." Dreamer growled, and she continued. "And neither Dreamer nor Anya seem inclined to let you have that Pidgeotto. We know your plans, and we'll stop at nothing to keep you from using the Shadows to create monstrosities."
Maleficent lifted a hand to her mouth and laughed. "Oh my. Seems you're not as oblivious as I thought you were. It's cute, though. How you think you can stop us. Everyone knows you. Always focusing too much on what others will think of you. We aren't scared of you because we know that you will stop long before 'nothing' because you're overly emotional, desperate for cookies, scared little child whose very existence serves no purpose."
Angel couldn't help but back up a few steps when Maleficent approached, which only made the woman laugh again. "See what I mean? You're nothing to me. To us." Maleficent brought out a pokéball and enlarged it. "I'll have that Pidgeotto. And you know why? Because you'll call off your Pokémon to keep them from being hurt. That's just who you are."
Her hands clenched into fists at her sides at Maleficent's words, and she growled. Anger filled her, but she didn't do anything as the woman slowly turned around and walked back toward Dreamer and Anya, whose growls became louder and more threatening.
Giratina's voice echoed in her mind just then. "I came to you first because I sensed the potential within you. Great things the world will see from you. But you must believe in yourself wholeheartedly. If you can't do it for yourself, then do it for them. The Shadows need you. Without your help, well, I don't need to go into details as to what they will experience. You. Are the girl with the power. Show the world who you are."
As if she felt a chill go down her spine, Maleficent turned to Angel and flinched when she saw the determination in her eyes. "Take her down!" were the only words Angel needed to say before Dreamer used Flamethrower, and Anya Fire Fang. Sylvie unleashed Mystical Fire while Rosie let off her best Hyper Beam yet. Maleficent threw up a Protect Shield just in time, then, with a look akin to surprise and anger, she fled.
Shouts of victory were let out by Anya and Rosie, whereas Dreamer and Sylvie each focused on a different thing. Sylvie, on the Pidgeotto in the tree, and Dreamer on an enlarged pokéball very likely the one Maleficent had just held. Angel saw the pokéball but chose to ignore it for now, what with Pidgeotto being more important. "Hey, darling. What seems to be the problem?"
Pidgeotto's answer surprised her. That there wasn't any problem. And even if there was, she simply didn't care. But when Angel realized that there were no other Pidgeotto or evos here, she knew those words were a lie. "Poor thing. You must be so lonely." At those words, Pidgeotto fluttered her wings and hopped toward her a few times. When Angel saw the interest, she brought out a pokéball and held it out to Pidgeotto. "If you want, I can help you not feel so alone."
A few seconds later, Pidgeotto flew down and touched the pokéball with her beak. Once she was safely inside, Angel turned her attention to the other pokéball, the one Dreamer now held in his mouth. He dropped it into her hand once she'd knelt on the ground and placed the other one in her pouch.
When she pressed the button to release the Pokémon inside, Angel gasped as two Shiny Meowstic popped out. She wasn't aware that a pokéball could hold more than one Pokémon. "Heh. I guess that makes sense, though." Sylvie questioned what she meant, and Angel turned to look at her. "If a Pokémon can refuse to go into a pokéball at all, it stands to reason that there would be bonded pairs of Pokémon, who refuse to be separate from each other."
She looked at the Meowstic, who seemed confused and scared. Angel didn't say anything. Nor did any of her Pokémon do anything. After a minute of crinkled noses that made it clear the Meowstic—one male and one female—were sniffing them out, they approached. The two then did something none of them had expected, and pounced on Angel, who fell backward onto the ground. But instead of being bitten like she half expected, the two covered her face in kisses and kneaded their claws on her skin. All she could do then was laugh and pet their heads.