Tale

15

Friday, May 5th, 1989

James walked down the stairs and past the bathrooms. At the end of the corridor, he saw a small door. He pushed it open, and the smell of new and old books flooded the air and into his nose. The shelves stacked with scrolls and books were overwhelming. In between the bookshelves were single desks shielded from the noise of the larger tables at the back. Each desk was carved from oak wood. He passed three rows of shelves. Where is he? He glanced down the fourth row. "Hey Kuti. I am sorry I threw your stuff on the floor. We should get going to class."

"W-what h-happened?" Kitiku pointed to James's cut face.

"Oh, it was nothing. Here, I'll carry your bag." James picked up Kitiku's bag and put it over his shoulder. He grinned. "So, since I scored like zero on everything, I'm in group C. What about you?"

Kitiku shuffled up on his crutches and whispered, "I-I didn't d-do well on p-pokémon c-care. A-at least w-we have C-Captain B-Bourbabel. He is n-nice." The boys walked down the corridor and towards the steps.

"Hey, kid, let me help you." An older student picked Kitiku up and carried him up the stairs. "There you go."

James ran up the stairs to catch up and walked up to Kitiku. He smiled and walked along the corridor. He saw the blank walls and sighed. Still boring here. James opened the classroom door to see Captain Bourbabel leaning on a desk.

"You didn't go to the med-bay to get those stitched?" Captain Bourbabel pointed to his face.

"No. I'm okay. Lord Ikur might get mad. I went to help Kitiku, that's all." He placed Kitiku's bag by the desk and sat on the desk next to him. James leaned back on his chair. Let's get this over with.

"Right!" Captain Bourbabel leapt onto his feet and put his hands in his pockets. Let's get this started. They all look bored, so… let's make this not boring. "Caring for pokémon can be tricky because each pokémon is different, blah, blah… Okay, with that out of the way, tell me about you and the pokémon on your team."

James listened in as the others talked about their pokémon in the class. With a grunt, he let them drone on and on. Even when Lioa spoke about his gurdurr, he felt the frustration of being trapped in a room consume him. Yeah, this isn't going to go down well. He glanced at Kitiku, who was playing with his blazer.

"Your turn," Captain Bourbabel said, gesturing to Kitiku. However, Kitiku squeezed his jacket tightly and looked down at his desk. He shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "Come on, Kitiku, you need to take part. Why don't you tell everyone about your klink?"

James closed his fists. "He doesn't want to talk. Can't you see that you are stressing him out, you jerk?"

Captain Bourbabel stepped forward and knelt next to Kitiku's desk. "Is everything okay? We can talk about it later." He got back up, placing a hand on Kitiku's desk. "Go ahead, James. You want to "

A loud bang echoed through the streets. Immediately, everyone in the room jumped onto their feet and rushed to the door.

Kitiku grabbed his ears as the others screamed. They pushed and shoved against one another.

"Enough!" Captain Bourbabel shouted.

What the hell was that? James held his ears. It was like his voice was in my brain. He turned to face Captain Bourbabel.

"Come on, Elktan twat. Let's go. This class sucks, you suck. Besides, long live Madison." Lioa smirked and walked up to Captain Bourbabel. He pushed him, and Captain Bourbabel stepped back.

The door burst open, and Sergeant Sutton walked through. "Sir, a Colran Lord is attacking the people. There is a hole in one of our own, and they aren't breathing. On top of that, they attacked the labourers coming back from the capital. Three are dead."

Dad? Kitiku grabbed his jacket once again.

A thud came from the door, followed by a screeching beam and screaming.

Shit, they are here. Okay, let's see. Captain Bourbabel took out his alakazam's poké ball and stepped into the corridor. "Enough games, Colran. Surrender now, and I won't have to stop you by any means necessary."

"Oh, by any means? What are you? Oh wow, it is really you, the famous former Lord Captain Bourbabel. Got to say, big fan, but I'm totally still stronger than you. Anyway, when Ol' Madi gets the stones, the path to Haléma will be revealed, and he will totally slay the monster. Oh, like, wow, is that an alakazam? I thought they were supposed to be nearly extinct. I use an electrode. Then, he will crush Piscar and own all of your kind using its secrets." The Lady stepped forward with a smile on her face.

What is Haléma? James thought, creeping closer to get a glimpse. A bright beam blasted down the corridor towards Captain Bourbabel, and a roar came from the entrance. A glimmer of blue caught James's eye before a purple energy surged from Captain Bourbabel towards his attacker. He saw the twitching yellow ear from the alakazam. I wish Okta would act without orders. He peered around the corner to get a better look.

"By the way, I don't know if you know, but anyway, you totally have a Spitz in your midst, and all I want is to congratulate them on their role to play, just like ol' Madi." The attacker stepped further down the corridor. Her face shone with energy. "Ol' Madi will notice me if I kill the great Captain Bourbabel."

Captain Bourbabel heard his heart pounding in his chest. He placed his hand on his poké ball. No rules stand here. This is a battle of life and death. "Hishrak!"

"Bibi! Two stone users face off against one another. Isn't this exciting? Oh boy, I wonder if you can use your stone like I can! My name is Valko, Valko Smith; hey, you are cute!" Lady Smith's eyes changed from a moss green to a bright yellow. Now, Captain, I'll be fair. I won't harm the others, just you!" She pointed forward. "Electro ball!"

"Kids cover your damn ears! Psycho screech!" Captain Bourbabel shouted and pointed forward. His alakazam took a deep breath and let out an immense sound wave. The teens in the room covered their ears, and the wooden door shook. The high-pitched screech masked the clunking sound of the hinges breaking under the pressure.

Captain Bourbabel staggered back as her fist struck his stomach, and he fell back onto the floor. Damn… He looked up to see her sparking eyes staring down at him.

"Hee, hee, your psycho screech won't do anything to my Bibi. Now, time to die." She raised her knife to drop it down on him. "Kill the alakazam with blazing sparks!" She glanced at the electrode that rolled down the corridor, flames and electricity following it like a dark shadow. She swung down, slicing the neck chain off. She grabbed the psychic stone. "Gah!" She dropped it and stared at the burn on her hand.

Meanwhile, the electrode slammed into the alakazam. However, a thick blue protective coat surrounded him. His eyes glinted, and he lifted the electrode off the ground and tossed him back into the door.

Captain Bourbabel raised his hand and closed his eyes. "Ugh, please.. come on…" he whispered. He opened his eyes once again.

"What are you trying? Aww, you are trying to use the stone. Well, I cut it off. Now, time to die." Lady Smith swung down with the knife once again. However, the blade wouldn't budge. She pushed down but felt like she was pushing into a solid rock. "What?"

"Didn't they tell you? I am psychic!" Captain Bourbabel pushed the air with all his might, and she fell backwards and rolled. "Hishrak, attack again with shadow ball!"

"I didn't see that coming. You know what the worst part of it all is? I can't even pick it up." Blood streamed down her arm, and her eyes sparked again. "Explosion!"

"Protect!" The building shook, and Captain Bourbabel vomited all over the floor. He turned around as the shaking stopped. Captain Bourbabel held his arm and punched the wall. "Damn it all!" he shouted in Elkrat. He turned around to see the students in the classroom staring at him. "Sorry, I shouldn't have shouted. Come, let's get back inside. We will continue class." He ushered them to their seats. The silence fell, and they stared at him. Uncertainty was painted across their face. "That was a Colran Lady, not Lord. She was powerful, but I will protect you."

"Captain, I was wondering if you could tell us about Haléma," James asked.

Captain Bourbabel paused, and his quill fell from his hand. He raised his hand but quickly lowered it, pressing it against the desk. Everyone in the room's eyes locked onto him almost expectantly.

"Captain Jerk?" James said.

"Very well, but don't call me that, James." Captain Bourbabel reached down to the desk and picked up the chalk. "As you all well know, our island was discovered around 400, or 500 years ago when our ancestors fleeing the abyss became shipwrecked here. Bello, Bourbabel…" Captain Bourbabel pointed to himself. "…Clavouro, Finnis, Ghetz, Herd, Hijah, Ellio… no sorry Illio, Juka, Mainstenhill, Piscar, Qu, Renetki, Rett, Smith, Takui and Tomilson." He wrote the names on the board. "And as you know, most of these people were prisoners. Some were their captors… anyway, Bello, being of an agricultural past, managed to gather some food and helped them survive. He became their leader. Over the next year or so, some others became shipwrecked here, too, while fleeing the abyss."

"What's in the abyss, sir?" a girl asked.

"Monsters, far bigger than any pokémon we have encountered on the island. It's why we never leave." Captain Bourbabel looked at the chalk in his hand. "The first pure Coltese child was born to the bloodline of Smith and Rett. Igor Rett was born. Bello stated that Igor Rett would be the first king. He was the first true Coltese person – of course; it was Kishininese, not Coltese… but… anyway... Fifteen of the original seventeen families were happy with this. Two were not."

With a nod, Captain Bourbabel circled the names on the board. "They believed the kingdom's power should go to one of the original guards from the first ship. They believed that only those born into a marriage between bloodlines of the original seventeen should ever be allowed the throne. As Igor did not come from that specific bloodline, they revolted. At least that is our understanding of what happened."

"That sounds dumb. Why didn't Bello give it to his kid?" one of the students asked.

Clarence paused and said, "I don't know." He looked back at the board. "Igor was allegedly brilliant and cunning. He is supposedly partially responsible for the poké balls we use today. The rebellious two and their followers plotted to kill Igor Rett, and according to my beliefs, Igor fought off the monster, but at a price. He slaughtered pokémon of the eighteen types to trap their energy inside some stones using a very powerful group of alakazam. He then sought help from our god, giratina, and locked the monster away. In Colran, though, some people believed it was cresselia, and others believed it was darkrai. The beast was sealed in Haléma village in a cave in the mountains using the eighteen stones, and with the alakazam once again, he forged a prophecy."

Captain Bourbabel stretched his hand and rubbed his moustache. "It was something like this: "Two from the past, present, and future shall approach. Each is the opposite side of the coin to one another. When all eighteen stones are present, the seal will be broken, and each side must sacrifice the other to release the beast within." He sat up on the desk. "It is supposedly happening every few years. Someone in the prophecy will die, and it will give a few days, and then it will pick new candidates. Naturally, the island has been searched for the lost village of Haléma many, many times. We haven't found it, and the cave? Lost to time itself. We know of prophecy chambers, though. We have found a few over the years, but they are never easy to get to locations. Many men and women have died getting to them, with and without their pokémon."

Captain Bourbabel put the chalk down on the desk. "Before he died, Igor Rett created one final seal to prevent the monster from escaping. Each stone would be attracted to a specific aura, and using the power of the alakazam, he cursed everyone on the island to have one of these auras. Over generations, the auras got mixed. Most people have two or more of these auras inside of them, and they impact how one acts. Or at least allegedly. Personally, I don't believe in this." He looked at the group of students. "Anyway, you should get back to the dorms. The soldiers and staff will make sure you have a warm meal brought up to you. Curfew tonight until we find the person responsible. Also, for your homework, one parchment page on the first pokémon on your team and how to look after them."

"But, sir, there is a scoof match tonight!" Lioa shouted.

I want to see my mum… Kitiku sniffled.

"Sorry, Lioa, but while this Guard is out there, I cannot risk you getting hurt." Captain Bourbabel sat back down at the desk. "Off you go. Kitiku stay. Oh, and James, can you wait outside." He watched as James picked up Kitiku's bag. "Hey, Kitiku. You didn't want to talk in front of everyone. Are you still feeling shy?"

Kitiku nodded and stared at his desk. He raised his hands and signed, "I want to go home and see my mum and dad. I want to go home tonight, but you won't let me. I just want my mum and dad." His hands started to shake.

The smile on Captain Bourbabel's face faded. "I can't send you home because today is your fasting day, and we are truly worried about you. All of you. I tell you something, though… if you stay tonight, I'll lend you this." Captain Bourbabel reached into his bag and pulled out a book with a leather strap. "It's a book on basic first aid. I've been brushing up, but I heard you got a part-time job with Lord Ikur, and I am sure this would help you. Yes?"

Kitiku glanced at the book and nodded. He raised his hands again and signed, "If I can learn to read well enough, he will let me work the pharmacy desk with supervision. I've been looking at my options and want to take Biology, Chemistry, Healing Skills, Chemical Substances, Elkrat and Advanced Colrat. That way, I will have two free periods to spend more time on my work study.

Captain Bourbabel smiled at him once more. "Sounds like you know exactly what you are going to do. I am glad for you. Later, we will have a big feast to celebrate your broken fast. You know, if there is anything you need to talk about, you can."

Kitiku squeezed his arm. "M-my older b-b-brother d-d-died. N-not James… His n-n-n…" He stopped, raised his hands, and signed, "My big brother, Pierre, died. I loved him so much. I want him back. I can't take it anymore. I want him back!" A tear ran down his face. His fingers started to shake again.

"I know about James. I know what he is. You aren't in trouble, and neither is your mum and dad. He's a good kid, like you. I understand what it is like to lose someone you love. I lost my eldest son." Captain Bourbabel put the book on Kitiku's desk.

The sound of the book landing on the wooden desk made James screw his nose up. He pushed himself up off the wall. "Take your own bag to your room!" he called out, walking down the wooden corridor. Damn, this place is empty. I guess people have gone to their dorms for the night. His eyes glanced over the burns that had lightly grazed the floor. James tucked his hand deep into his pocket while holding Kitiku's bag. He walked up the stairs and walked to his room. Screw staying here tonight, though. He pushed open the door and put Kitiku's bag on his bed. He opened the drawer under the bunk bed and pulled out the sports shirt and shorts. This will do. James changed into the sports gear and pulled the door open again.

"Yeah, good luck with that. You going to try to sneak out, huh? Monsomo, it ain't gonna happen. These guys ain't gonna take the piss, right. You wanna get outta this place, you gotta do the old sneak stuff, right." An older boy shouted down the corridor.

"Raab, you dickhead, why you go shouting that shit?" another boy answered. "I was gonna just go see my girlfriend."

"What you lookin' at, right?" The boy called Raab grabbed James by the shirt. "Oh, ho, you are that punk that graffitied the outside, right? Bro, you gotta stop with that shit, man. We get roasted for it. Nah, I'm just kidding, just make sure you keep them pissed, right? No one likes these Elkran shits." He dropped James on the floor. "But for real, ya didn't hear shit about us sneaking out."

James looked at him, and he pushed back with a grin painted across his face. "I want out, too. What's your name? I'm James."

"Raab. Raab Finnis. Yeah, those explosions earlier weren't great, so let's get the fuck outta here." He flicked his red hair back and walked down the stairs with James following. "Dumb shit, this whole school stuff. I was in the army I was before this crap." He walked up to the door and opened it.

James stared at Raab. So, he fought them, huh? I have so much to ask. "What's your pokémon?"

"None of your business." Raab pushed past him and around the battlefield. He put a cigarette in his mouth and leaned against the wall. "The moment them Elkran turn around, we get over that wall, right?" He watched, waiting for them to move. "Now." He ran forward and pulled himself over the wall.

James pushed his red hair out his face and quickly pulled himself over the wall. "So, where you going, Raab?"

Raab stared back at him. "I got to do something important. I have to forsake him." He walked along the street towards the holy building.

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