Pokemon: Blood Curse
Chapter 7: Lake House
Past the white clouds and high above, where the terrain below looked like quilt patterns, soared Mew. The said Legendary carried everyone with its psychic energy, it was difficult not to giggle to itself at hearing Meigu's constant, fearful wailing.
Marceline couldn't help but smile at him, for he clung to Torch as though his life depended on him and watched as comical tears got lost in the wind. If anything, Blaziken seemed rather annoyed to have his owner, his friend, hang onto him for dear life. Neither of his pokemon panicked, for they knew the Legendary could be trusted and watched a great mountain in the distance grow closer by the minute. "Is that it?" Marce questioned no one in particular, eyes lit up with awe at its magnificent size.
Miss Shade... You can hear us? Calm, reserved, and quiet, he asked the brunette with telepathy as his orange-reddish colored eyes peeked at her from behind.
Those hazel hues of hers peeked at the Gallade curiously, before, shamefully, averting them and nodding. "Yeah, I can. As I said though... I- I'll explain later," The woman didn't want to tell anyone about her curse, about the very thing that scared people away and her powers. Fear held her back so long that she became practically used to hiding it and Prince could definitely feel it radiating from her.
His lingering gaze, full of concern, soon returned to the incoming mountain, and thoughts of her little secret continued to plague his mind. Torch wasn't even able to hear her words, the wailing in his ears prevented it and it only unnerved him more.
The amount of annoyance was enough to make one of his blue eyes twitch and with his big, clawed hand, he pushed on his owner's face. Surprisingly the force managed to pry the buff man off and separate the two once more. "Toooorch, please don't make me let goooo!" Tears of fear comically flew from his hysterical eyes as he reached his hands out pleadingly, like a child wanting to be picked up by its parent.
What caught his attention was when his pokemon both pointed at Mew, who was peaking back at him with a smile and reassuringly waved. Just the look on its face seemed to have calmed the man down easily.
After several more minutes passed, they soon arrived at the edge of the mountain and hovered there in complete silence. That was, until, Marceline's eyes blinked confusedly, and spoke. "Hey, why aren't we landing?" With knitted brows and a lean from her head, she peeked around Meigu's head to see the Legendary stare into the distance. Is it waiting for something? Oh, wait, maybe it's waiting for this special pokemon it mentioned before. Recognition lit up her hazel hues before her head fully faced the mountain's edge, however, a harsh gasp escaped her lips.
There standing on the side of the mountain top was a Legendary pokemon, that her school mentioned had disappeared at one point in history. Astonished, and bewildered, she couldn't believe that she was staring into the very purple eyes that she saw during class a long time ago in a blurred image. Is this... her monologue trailed off, too stunned to so much as blink, and when the said pokemon hovered close to Mew...
A silent stare between the two was enough for her to know they were talking, most likely through telepathy. Meigu's gaping mouth and bugged-out eyes had gone unnoticed, for everyone was too shocked at the sight of the new Legendary before them; even Matsuo's two pokemon remained as astonished as him.
Suddenly, soaring past Mew, the buff man, and his two pokemon, came the Legendary with its purple eyes trained on her specifically. To say she wasn't scared or frightened would be a lie, for her heart rammed against her rib cage like a wild animal wanting to be free and run.
Don't be afraid. I welcome you, as a guest... For a moment, through his telepathy, he trailed off and lifted his hand which had three balls on the tips of his fingers. Outstretched and reassuring, his eyes studied hers as though looking for answers to questions he never asked. Will you swear to me- that no one shall know of our location if I allow you to enter our sanctuary? His question, full of caution and a bit of hope, reached the brunette with haste.
"S- Sanctuary? I... Never told... Anyone about my... Anyway, of course," worried, Marceline was hesitant to so much as answer and when she did, she nearly slipped out something personal that she realized wasn't a good idea. Not right now, not ever, even though Meigu and his pokemon know about her oddity a little from the display she showed earlier. Why? I almost said something about it! Of course, I can keep secrets, I've kept my own for years. Oh, dear lord, I hope he's not reading my mind... Wait, can he even? Nervous sweat started to build up on her skin at the thought. Despite her own fear mixing with her unease, she almost didn't notice the amused glint in his eyes.
With a faint smile, the Legendary, who she finally noticed wore a cloak, gestured with his odd hand to indicate for her to take it. Very slowly she did so, shaky and hesitant, her small hand grasped his. Its voice, is it a guy? A deep voice like that- it has to be... Well, I'll call it, he, then. Concluding in her mind, Marce soon felt herself being pulled past her group and eventually he held onto her as he flew towards the mountain edge.
Your friends will have to leave, their memories of ever encountering this mountain and of you speaking about the travel with Mew, will all have to be erased. I cannot afford anyone to spread our location to others. As he hovered above pokemon that had many different patterns in their skin and fur, he turned slightly to face the brunette with his strict stare.
"What?! Why?! I'm sure I can convince them not to say anything, I mean... I don't know how well Matsuo is with keeping secrets and surely his pokemon wouldn't matter! They can't even speak the human language!" Panicked Marce when she glanced back at a confused buff man and his pokemon, who were still held in the air by Mew.
No, but you can! After the Legendary's shout, the woman didn't notice her own quick gasp and her lips gaping. Mew already mentioned that I will give you the answers you looked for, all your life... I do not appreciate humans learning of our sanctuary. If his pokemon know about it, they will likely try to remind him of this place and talk to you as well. At first, he was unnerved, and angry, but it all faded into his control then spoke in a calmer voice.
"Just let me try. If he decides to backstab and spread the word about this place then you can. Until then, I don't think you need to worry about it," She could feel her own nervousness gradually die when she did her best to reassure him and in his eyes, she could tell he was skeptical.
Very well... As simple as can be, he glanced at Mew and gave it a nod of approval. When he saw the Legendary carry the others over, he hovered down and placed the woman near the pokemon.
Soon, those purple eyes viewed all of the odd pokemon in front of them, he ignored the others Mew sat down behind him and waited for their attention. Everyone! A moment's pause ensued, for he watched some of them move their attention to his purple form and heard only silence. We have guests. Keep an eye on them if any decide to run away, except this one here- quickly he peeked at the brunette next to him who was a lot shorter than he expected. She will be by my side at all times, I have things to discuss with her. With that, they all cried out their pokemon language and accepted his demand rather energetically.
However, Marceline knew what they were saying. Some comments from them ranged from cheerful acceptance to reluctance. "Miss Shade! What's going on now? Why is Mewtwo here?!" From behind them, Matsuo questioned, as astonished as the other two at the Legendary Psychic pokemon.
Mewtwo?! That's who this is?! I friggin knew it! I couldn't remember what my teacher said in school about him but I'd forgotten that they said the image was of Mewtwo! Wow, I'm such an idiot... Annoyed with herself, the once gaped mouth soon frowned at her own words with a twitching eye. Although, she didn't notice Mewtwo gazing at her from his peripherals. "He said that we're guests here and that the pokemon here need to watch you guys for... Security reasons, I guess," The back of her neck was rubbed when Marce lifted her hand and lowered her eyes, it felt so awkward to her.
To know that they know she speaks Pokemon, was what truly made it awkward. A quick flash in her eyes, a memory resurfaced and made her eyes dull for a moment. She and her parents stood outside in the cold rain, with travel bags stuffed into her arms. Her younger self watched them slam the door shut and nearly made the more grown-up Purrloin jump. Depression, and sorrow, engulfed her hazel eyes, just as they did in the present and a couple of pokemon could feel her emotions.
Mewtwo's purple gaze squinted irritably at the look on her face, unaware that Prince had nearly done the same only with more worry. Let's go. This time, he turned to face Matsuo and his pokemon, telepathically speaking and shocking him to no end.
Eventually, they all followed the Legendary, and Mew simply teleported to who knows where. Blaziken's cautiously examined everything as they stayed behind Meigu, even Prince trekked carefully and kept on his toes. Who knows when they might need to defend their owner and Marceline from an attack, their pokemon mumbles escaped during so.
Countless flora, hills, soft grass, and sparkling waters littered the entirety of the Mountain including the various pokemon they'd pass by. The path they walked, made of thick dirt and clear of any grass, reached into the distance.
On the horizon, they all could see a lake surrounded by the forest they stood in, which the brunette found interesting since a lot of flying mons were soaring back and forth through the sky. Water Pokemon leaped into the air with a waving fin to greet them, even a Gyrados emerged, lifted its head close to the edge, and waited for them to get closer.
Once they stopped at the coastline where the water barely reached their toes, she gawked at the large mon in awe. Its gaping mouth hung low, those sharp, intimidating eyes bore into hers, and soon enough its head lowered. A greeting, or a request to be petted, she couldn't tell but the urge to touch its crown was irresistible.
Very carefully her small hand touched the blue part just above its eyes. Slick, almost coarse, it sort of reminded her of wet leather dipped in butter. She could feel its head shift further against her hand and it nearly made a gasp leave her lips, for she never petted or interacted with a lot of other pokemon; save for Mel, Hornet, and Meigu's mons.
It fascinated her, even its scales beautifully shined just right under the sun's rays. Allow us across, Gyrados. Telepathy speaking, Mewtwo gained the mon's attention and watched its head lift to him. This time, it turned with its back to them, then peeked around to gesture for everyone to hop on.
She and the others were all very hesitant, first Matsuo hopped on and grinned happily, he wasn't the least bit afraid. Next, Prince leaped and held onto one of Gyrados's spines at the base of its neck. Then it was Torch who reluctantly climbed on and beads of sweat rolled down his feathers, nonetheless, he watched Marceline who was the last one to hop on.
Never in her life did Marce ride on a pokemon before... Maybe, a couple of times from Mel. The sound of her heartbeat continued to pound in her ears as her eyes darted between the lake and the Gyrados. W- What if I slip? What if it kicks me off? Her thoughts, full of uncertainty and fear, echoed until she heard Prince's reserved and subtle voice encourage her.
It's alright, don't be afraid. I'm certain, that since Gyrados is the guardian of this lake, she won't let anything happen. Calming, it was to her, to hear his words. Her uneasy eyes peeked up at the Gallade and noticed Torch, next to him, reach out a hand. A simple nod was what she received from the Blaziken and very slowly her small hand reached his big one. His talons could barely be felt when it closed, it was gentle and surprisingly warm.
Her hand is so small and delicate. Torch spoke in his mind this time, for he was fully aware now that she could understand the language of mon. He was surprised to feel the softness of her skin when he pulled her onto the pokemon. Even though she didn't look at him when he pulled her close to make sure she didn't fall, there was a weird stir in his gut similar to the strange feeling he had when they first met at the store.
This Gyrados, is a she? Her unease and fear soon dwindled, which allowed fascination to return to her face. In awe, she watched as the Gyrados began to swim away from the surface, however when they were just halfway there after a couple of minutes she noticed something.
The warmth, the gentleness of Torch's hand was still around hers, albeit a little tighter than before. She looked down to see that it was shaking a little, so her attention soon worriedly peeked up at the Blaziken and saw how his eyes were tense. Is he afraid I'd fall? Or... her thoughts trailed off for a moment so she could get a closer look, inching a little to see his full face and it surprised her. He's afraid in general. Water is a Fire pokemon's weakness, so maybe he's just scared of moving across this lake? Now the brunette was concerned, she figured he didn't know she was staring at him but what she hadn't realized was the red tints on his fuzzy cheeks.
He knew very well that she was staring at him, but refused to do the same. Torch did his best to keep a stern and strong front but she made it very difficult for him. The poor Blaziken hadn't noticed that he was still holding onto her hand for dear life, despite the fearless front he was pulling off to hide his dislike of water.
"Hey, you two okay?" Meigu, concerned and confused, questioned from the top of Gyrados's head. Even Prince peeked over his shoulder at them and saw how Torch was having trouble keeping his strong facade, for he knew that Blaziken hated water. Although after seeing his tight grip on Marceline's hand, anger began to swell in his chest, and tried to keep his mind calm by closing his eyes.
"Y- Yeah. I'm worried about Torch though, is he okay? He doesn't look so good," Her knitted brows proved how she felt as she glanced at the buff man before returning her gaze to the Blaziken.
"Yeah, haha! He's just scared of water. I think, most fire-type pokemon, are. I've studied a lot about pokemon and battled them. Torch has never been too accepting of water, so don't worry! He'll be fine, right Torch?!" A thumbs-up directed at his mon and a toothy grin that sparkled, only made the said Blaziken's eye twitch irritably.
All Marce did was laugh awkwardly and lower her head, she understood nonetheless. For the most part, the ride to the center of the lake was quiet and peaceful, until everyone gawked at the comfortable... Lake house sitting on an island. How are they capable of such a thing?! Pokemon can't build like this, can they?! Someone else must live there, I can't think of any other reason for how a house would be made. Dumbstruck, the brunette was, her mouth gaped at the beautiful sight.
She and the others didn't notice Mewtwo flying above them, following the Gyrados across the water. The woman was too awestruck, even Matsuo's mouth hung open in disbelief and his mons had done the same. This is where I sleep... I will explain how this house was on this island later, once we are inside. Mewtwo's deep voice resonated through everyones' minds, which gained their attention and confusion.
"Did you make this yourself?!" Astonished, Meigu jerked back at his words and watched those purple eyes glance down at him from above. Although only silence befell him, all of them, Marceline was curious about that too.
Moments later, the buff man and the brunette both waved the Guardian of the Lake goodbye, thanking her before she dove into the water once more. "Hey, Torch- if you're feeling sick, do you want to go back into your pokeball to rest a while? You don't have to stay in there any longer than you want to," Concerned, Matsuo's brows knitted at the Blaziken's queasy expression, and lifted his pokeball to offer him.
No- I'd rather stay out here. I'm not as pathetic to let the water make me feel sick! I'm stronger than this! I've fought water pokemon before! Those blue eyes heatedly peeked at his trainer as he held his stomach, however, he forced a facade and lowered his hand to hide the sickness he felt. Despite his deep and rough voice, it still quivered from the struggle.
Yeah... You nearly fainted too. Prince, to the side of him, closed his eyes and sweatdropped at the memory when he fought a Masquerain with Aerial Ace.
So what if I almost fainted, I still beat him! This time, the Blaziken's anger flared to life along with the flames on his wrists and both arms bobbed as he spoke in their poke' language.
"Torch, what's wrong?! Why are you suddenly getting mad at Prince?!" Meigu exclaimed and ran between them, in hopes of breaking up whatever fight his Blaziken tried to get going. "I really need to figure out something for your anger issues... Wait-" Those brown eyes lit up at recalling that Marce could understand pokemon language and quickly turned to her, pleadingly. "Miss Sha-" before he could even finish, her words overran his with a subtle shyness.
"Y- You can just call me Marceline, if you want," She didn't notice the pink tints on her cheeks, for she felt embarrassed at the thought of avoiding formality but she felt like it was fine now.
"M- Marceline... Well, thanks haha! You can just call me Meigu then! Anyway-" he began with his bright smile and shy red cheeks. "Is it okay, if you can tell me why he's so angry?" A frown soon replaced his grin after he asked and couldn't help but show concern for his fiery friend.
"Erm... He was..." the brunette trailed off, awkward was an understatement at this point much like the moment from earlier. "Saying how he isn't as pathetic to let queasiness get the better of him and said that he fought a water pokemon. Prince said that he nearly fainted and that's why he heated up," Those hazel eyes looked everywhere else but them, with her heart pounding in her ears as anxiety took a hold of her mind but she tried to control herself.
"Oh! Is that all? No wonder- ever since I raised Prince when he was just a Ralts, Torch's anger began to have more and more spikes. That explains it, haha!" His hand rubbed the back of his neck, Marce wasn't the only one that felt awkward, he and his pokemon both felt the same way. Nervous beads of sweat trickled down both Prince and Torch after she explained, it made their private conversations all the more difficult now. It was going to take them a long time to get used to her hearing them.
Are you done, now? If so, let's head in. Straightforward he spoke, behind them, Mewtwo walked past and through their group to reach the door. His psychic power even unlocked it, for it opened without so much as a twist of the knob.
They all viewed the beautiful flora and flower bushes. The house was two stories high, with a large deck looking over the lake and another, smaller porch just outside of a bedroom's sliding door. Even a chimney stuck out from the tiled roof, all the windows were dark though, and as soon as they walked in... The lights all turned on with a simple flick of Mewtwo's wrist.
"Electricity?! How?!" Meigu was dumbfounded once more, viewing the modern-looking interior where a living room with sofas and a simple kitchen all merged. Only the counters in the kitchen made them divide from each other, while purple curtains draped over the windows. A cute, round table with two chairs on either side, sat not too far from a staircase that led up and down to two other floors; a top floor and a basement.
"The internet... Is amazing to learn from. Humans have a strange way of teaching and giving information. I learned many things after I arrived here, I studied and did my research. Many pokemon helped me build this home, including Legendary pokemon who have observed humans from a much closer perspective and provided me the information I needed. I have watched tutorials, and guides, at this place called 'Youtube' labeled with DIY; which I recently learned is short for- Do it yourself," Those purple eyes, emotionless, looked at the awestruck group and their dropped jaws.
Who knew, that the legendary Mewtwo, was so smart that he even thought of using the internet to learn more about the ways of humans. "W- Wait..." This time it was Marceline to speak up, the woman shook her head to break herself from the astonishment she had and continued. "How... Did you even learn about the internet?" She was very confused, to say the least, because it would've taken a human to even introduce that to a pokemon.
With a close of Mewtwo's eyes, after he turned to them, a sigh escaped, and recalled the memories he had when he was still in that tub of liquid. In the lab where he was created, on occasion, he'd open his eyes to see computers with strange screens. It was hard to understand their muffled words but he was able to make out some, and he learned that one of them was the internet. They referred to the computer not too far from his tank when they spoke that word and he couldn't help but stare at its screen for the longest time while their backs were turned.
I'd rather not speak of it. Plainly answered the legendary, for he didn't feel comfortable of speaking about his past and glanced at Marce for a moment. Come with me, downstairs... Alone. I'll give you the answers you seek, the rest of you can make yourself comfortable. After that, he turned to the side and eventually made his way downstairs to the basement, ignoring the confused stares.
"Okay- then? I'll be back," Her hazel hues blinked at the others, not once did her confusion falter and soon the brunette made her way to the stairs. She knew why only she was allowed to hear the answers, it was a personal matter and she didn't want them to find out about her past just yet; within a few passing seconds they were now alone in the living room, confused.