Watcher of Arceus
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Only the idea and OC's.
Author Notes:
-X-This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.
~xXx~ This will identify where each paragraph breaks.
"Human Speech" 'Character Thought' {Pokémon Speech}
Co-author: Catsithx
The following is a total and complete Reboot of the story "Watcher of Arceus".
~xXx~
Chapter 36 : A Coming Storm
A strong storm had forced the Lunar Blessing to shore on the voyage back north. While the storm as it was wouldn't pose any real risk to the Lunar Blessing at the moment, the storm front rushing in from the ocean in a few hours would become a real problem and none of them liked the idea of being in open water at night during a storm that could possibly evolve into a hurricane.
With no natural harbors or coves to hide in, it was an unwelcome but required choice to stop in the quickly developing Coral Coast City. A now major trainer based city on the coast between Sunnyshore City and Veilstone City, it was not the first choice to stop and hide in, but with the weather getting worse as the storm turned towards Japan, they had no choice.
Docking the Lunar Blessing at one of the smaller ports closer to middle of town reserved for just small ships, it was the safest place for the ship right now with such a large storm brewing. If it skipped over and decided to head back out to ocean again, then they could leave in a day. If it decided to head inland though, it could be a week or possibly more before it would be safe enough to return to open waters.
"As Hurricane Fran continues to slowly gather strength, everyone east of Mount Coronet in the Sinnoh Region is advised to pay attention and be prepared. While not yet expected to actually make landfall, its proximity to the northern most coast of Japan can still cause notable damage and should not be ignored. Trainers in the region should be advised to stay away from the coastline and if possible should avoid camping in the open, finding as much cover as they can before setting up camp if they are in the wilderness." The news station continued as Thomas brought the Lunar Blessing into the harbor, and Xent was outside with Zai and Radara were getting guided by some dock hands to their spot, before tying off the ship as well as dropping anchor.
Dahlia just turned off the news though as she checked the blinds again, helping Radara keep the attention off them. As Xent came back in with Radara and Zai, Xent just looked on annoyed.
"So... this storm looks like its getting worse and the dock hands keep saying how weird this storm is. Are you sure this isn't related to one of your family?" Xent asked.
"Come on Xent, not everything weird is their fault." Sarah stated.
"Its not any of us directly, but it might be related to us. Honestly though, its not that strange a storm." Thomas stated. "This storm originated a hundred or so miles to the east right?"
'That would put it close to Samiya if my math is right. I believe that Samiya is on its voyage around the northern parts of Japan right now correct?' Radara asked as Dahlia looked up and did some math in her head, thinking about it herself.
"Maybe? I never cared for Samiya myself. I'm not a fan of the depths." Dahlia shrugged.
"Samiya? Whose that?" Xent asked, not at all familiar with that name.
'What, not who.' Suicune's voice sounded as she walked up the stairs. 'Samiya is the palace of an ancient people. Their descendants walk among the general people of Japan right now though, seeking new relationships and blood. And yes, it should be near the northern tip of Japan right now, close to where the storm originated.'
Sarah and Xent just gave them some confused looks though. "And this... Samiya place might have caused the storm?" Xent asked.
"That's a bit of a complicated matter. It was probably involved with storm, but at the same time might have stopped a larger one." Dahlia noted.
"The distortion was stirring a bit strongly when we left Mount Coronet. It could have other more pronounced effects. Could it have been responsible for the storm?" Thomas asked.
"Wait... I thought you said that this... distortion was separate from the world we know, that they didn't interact." Sarah asked.
"That's the complicated part. Samiya is a moving palace under the water that travels freely. It has a great many blessed crystals that let it stay safe and roam the waters. It also offers some protections against the distortion. Sometimes something on the other side gets attracted to it though. The People of the Water would usually deal with it, but they're not exactly home right now." Dahlia explained, peaking outside and looking out towards the ocean.
"So... the distortion can cause freak weather storms? That sounds dangerous." Xent noted.
'The more accurate statement would be that it can indirectly cause the conditions for freak weather storms to form. Temperature changes around places where our world and the distortion are trying to interact are a common thing. The distortion likely caused a larger then usual change in temperature in the ocean water large enough to react with the warm weather in the air, or perhaps the reverse. The change in temperature likely caused the storm to grow at a rapid rate.' Radara explained.
"And you know this how?" Dahlia asked, a bit confused.
'I've spent the past almost twenty years with scientists who study several dozen topics related to pokemon and how they can interact with the world, including the application of changing weather. Its a lot of speculation, but its a reasonable idea given what we do know about the distortion from past experience and how it can chill the areas its trying to interact with.' Radara noted.
"Fair enough." Dahlia noted. "If it is the distortion trying to interact with the Sea Crown causing this though, then it should follow Samiya. Still, we're likely stuck for a few days at least though. I'm not eager to head out into open water with that mess going on eitherway."
"Question. Why haven't we heard about this, this Samiya?" Xent asked.
'They like their privacy. About a thousand years ago, a large number of merchant guilds tried to declare financial war on them so to speak and wanted to ruin them after one of their less savory families tried to force manaphy to give them the city as well as abuse her powers. They wanted the secrets of the Sea Crown to make another such palace and to try and obtain immortality. It escalated and the guilds sent some men to try and take the Sea Crown by force. Since then, the People of the Water decided that it was best to keep to themselves mostly.' Suicune explained.
'They occasionally come back to the island to find new families and find more people to join them. Honestly, they aren't much different from normal people, they just lead bit more in the way of simpler lives. Currently, they are in the middle of their journeys through Japan. They've always been a small population, and need to introduce new blood into their family lines. Some choose to keep the new lives they take up on land, but many return to Samiya with the families they found on land. It happens every few hundred years.' Radara added.
"Wait... does Manaphy have something do with your reincarnations?" Sarah asked.
"No, we all have our own life cycles independent of each others. Is something wrong?" Thomas replied.
"Didn't Suicune just say that someone tried to take Manaphy to obtain immortality?" Sarah asked, a fair bit confused again.
'When mother gave birth to each of us, we the god-children and the legendary pokemon, some of us developed some interesting additional unforeseen abilities. We god-children developed a kind of prophetic sense, able to sense the danger of our elder brothers and sisters, and the dangers of each other at times, but never our own.' Radara explained, only to give a minor shudder.
"And Manaphy has a very strange ability. She can... well body swap people." Thomas continued.
"Body swap? What does that even mean." Xent asked, both him and Sarah even more confused now.
"Well... she can swap the identity of two people or pokemon, or even a person and pokemon back and forth. I choose to say body swap because its a bit more complicated then suggesting the idea of swapping minds. You see, it sorta, well... it very confusing, but the basic idea is that when Manaphy swaps the identities of two individuals, they swap complete mental identity, memories, and a few other little details with each other, but its not a complete mind swap. The body itself kind of keeps its muscle memory, and reacts a bit like it was trained to before hand but its not perfect and sometimes the body will try to act like normal compared to the mind that was changed, like someone with wings trying to use them in a body without wings, and the body sometimes reacts on its own as well. There's also a few instances where..." Thomas started trying to figure out how to say it, but having some trouble.
'While the minds including memories get swapped between the two bodies, its more like the body is still active a bit and can either reject or accept the new mind, but there are other things that can carry over too. Its messy though and the more forceful a change that Manaphy tries to force on the two people can cause major problems.' Radara added.
"I see." Sarah said, a bit confused, but sort of getting a bit of it. "Say, have you two ever been body swapped before?"
"I've only ever been an eevee." Thomas replied.
'And I prefer being female.' Radara added.
"Ya know... honestly I think I'd rather not think about that subject, I'm confused enough right now." Xent stated but still pulling out his pokephone and going back to his notes app to write something down.
"Fair enough." Dahlia stated giving a small shrug.
"Sounds like were still stuck here for a while though until the storm passes. We might as well as restock while we can." Sarah suggested.
"Well, its not a bad idea." Thomas suggested. "We'll have to be extra picky on things though. We still haven't figured out the whole income thing."
"To say nothing of the other things we'll need now to hide better. And price hikes for privacy." Xent sighed.
"Well, I didn't want to do this, but it looks like I don't have a choice. And if we're stuck here for a few days anyway. We should see if Grace of a Ninetales has a branch here. It will take a day or two for them to prepare a large withdraw." Dahlia stated. "Can I see your pokedex?" She asked Xent.
"Its downstairs charging. I'm sure Thomas's can do anything mine can though." Xent replied.
"But you look the part of a private courier, rougher and more discrete. With Thomas's face on every news station at the moment, Sarah already being a popular high ranking coordinator, and the fact I can't go and make the withdraw in person for obvious reasons, I'd like to ask you go and get it since your face is the least well known. I can go with you to get it, but its not like I can do it myself. I didn't want to tap into these funds anytime soon, they were supposed to be investments, but someone kind of didn't give us a choice." Dahlia explained.
"How much are withdrawing?" Xent asked getting up.
"As much as I can without needing to get a security check on it. Maybe a hundred thousand, if we're lucky two? I'm expecting closer to half that, but they'll still want a day or two get those kinds of funds together." Dahlia noted.
Xent just nodded and went downstairs, coming up a moment later and handing off his pokedex to Dahlia. "So, how does this work exactly?" He asked.
"If Grace of a Ninetales has a branch here, I give them a call on this specific pokedex on their application after verifying my identity and confirming your my courier. You then go in tonight or early tomorrow and let them verify this pokedex, they give a call and I confirm it again. Then they will give you a call when the withdraw is ready, likely a day or two, you go and get it, then hand it off to me. And once I have it, I call them to inform them that I have the cash, and you held up your end." Dahlia explained.
"Well given you're trying to withdraw a hundred grand or so, that many hoops to jump through makes sense." Xent nodded.
"Its far more the fact that I don't do it person, given they don't know I'm not a human. Its not like I could just go around advertising that I wasn't... although the thought has crossed my mind and I do have the means... and people in the right places to prove it. One of my contingency plans actually involves doing just that. It would force a very detailed investigation into Trinity Shipping and the knights if needed, but I'm saving that as one of my last resort options. Adding that kind of political fire to the mix right now given everything else going on and I'm just asking for collateral damage." Dahlia sighed, looking over a few more things on his pokedex before taking a seat.
"Let's hope this goes smoothly." Dahlia stated as she dialed a number on the pokedex at last.
"Hello, this Grace of a Ninetales Banking, Coral Coast City, Sinnoh Branch. How may I direct your call today." The lady on the other end quickly asked.
"Private Accounts please, speaking on behalf of Juliana Trinity and the Asagi Family." Dahlia stated.
"One moment please." The lady stated before the phone went quite aside from a small dings, and then it started to ring again, quickly getting picked up a second later.
"This is Gorden Jones, Private Accounts of Grace of a Ninetales Banking, may I have your name and account number please." The new voice, a man stated.
"Hello Gorden, I'm currently on a pokedex, can you link this device to the bank please. I'd like to make sure my private courier will be approved to pick up a withdraw for me before we begin. I have some private business that he will be attending to and would like to make sure that he won't have any issues." Dahlia asked.
"One moment, syncing... syncing, and you should be getting an alert any second. There will be a number of questions for to fill out before we can do much though. My apologies for the lengthy digital paperwork." Gorden stated, before a few alerts popped up on the pokedex and Dahlia just handed it to Xent to look through the alerts and accept them while still keeping the phone on speaker.
"Thank you, we see them now. My name is Juliana Trinity, part of the Asagi Family Guest Accounts, and I'm putting in my account information right now." Dahlia stated before taking back the pokedex long enough to put her account number.
"I'm pulling up the accounts right now... ah here we go. Good evening Miss Trinity. Before we can conduct any business however, we need to do some security checks. This will take a few, and your courier should be present as well. This process can take about ten to twelve minutes if everything goes smoothly, but I'm seeing that this is your first time assigning a courier, so this might take longer." Gorden explained.
"Yes yes, I figured as much and fully understand." Dahlia stated.
"Alright, I'm sending a confirmation notice to your contact information now, and we'll be begin as soon as you provide the security code." Gorden stated.
Dahlia got up, and moved to the shelves to pull out a tablet and began looking it over while also moving up to Thomas, while also turning off the speaker phone. "While I'm busy doing this, take Sarah and see if you can't get us a rental truck. The navigation menu highlighted a small rental cart place with for small electric carts that are built like trucks."
"I don't know how to drive, and don't have a license." Thomas said.
"Really... I thought you would at least know the basics by now. Sarah, can you drive?" Dahlia noted.
"I told you that you needed to learn." Xent quipped as Sarah came in from the kitchen.
"Did someone call my name?" She asked.
"Do you know how to drive a motor vehicle?" Thomas asked.
"Well enough. I mean I prefer not to in heavy rains, but I can." Sarah nodded.
"Good, she'll drive, and maybe teach you a few things." Dahlia noted as she went looking through the tablet and started to fill out the information already. "I'm looking over the paperwork now, give me a moment to fill it out." Dahlia added, briefly speaking to Gorden for a moment, and then looking back up to the others.
"I'm not that great a teacher, sorry. Wait... Thomas, you can't drive? I mean, its kind of a major form of transportation today, you don't really mean to walk everywhere at all times right?" Sarah started, only to give a quizzical look to Thomas.
"You are now officially outvoted. You are learning to drive." Xent added.
"I don't need a vehicle." Thomas stated.
"You need to learn, we'll worry about that later. Let Sarah drive, just be quick." Dahlia added.
Thomas and Sarah nodded, quickly getting dressed, and even dressing up Radara in a canine rain coat as well before they left, leaving Xent and Dahlia to sort out the bank options.
Heading out into the rain, Thomas, Radara, and Sarah were in a bit of rush to head down the pier and towards the offices, quickly finding the electric cart rental shop. Thankfully the hard rains and the winds were keeping most people inside or in tight groups, not really looking around at other people much. As they approached though, both Thomas and Radara stopped and quickly turned east, facing towards Mount Coronet and then looking around a bit.
"Hey, what's up." Sarah quickly asked.
Thomas and Radara just kept looking around though, before slowly inspecting almost everything around them, their heads and eyes glancing around from spot to spot as if something was there, but not sure what they were looking for. "Guys, this isn't funny, what's wrong?" Sarah asked out a bit more loudly, trying not to use names, but also concerned.
Finally she just reached up. "Now is not the time, snap out of it." She yelled a bit, getting a few looks as she snapped her fingers directly in Thomas's face and that seemed to work as Thomas looked right at her. "What's wrong?" She demanded.
"I don't know..." Thomas stated. "There's this, this nagging feeling right now."
'Its hard to describe. Its not a calling though, or it shouldn't be. We're still in disagreement about where to go... But this feeling.' Radara added.
"Where do we need to go?" Sarah quickly asked, remembering that Thomas and Radara were supposed to just know where to be if they were being called upon.
"I don't know... this can't be a calling then but." Thomas stated quickly looking down towards Radara who also shook her head.
'I can't describe this feeling. Its, there's something there and yet, I feel lost, I can't decide where to go.' Radara added, Thomas nodding his head in agreement.
Thomas just took Sarah's hand though and moved along faster, entering the rental shop.
"Hello hello, is this your first time here at Jolteon's Electro Shack?" The man quickly asked, Thomas nodding as he moved up.
"Yes it is." Thomas stated, Radara already at work keeping his mind on the proper topic, and ignoring the television in the corner for any instance of Thomas or Sarah.
"Alright, name please?" The man asked as he checked the television, only watching for the weather and completely ignoring the currently report on speculation about Thomas, even as Sarah was a bit worried about it.
"James and Marcy Orion." Thomas quickly stated, Sarah giving him a strange look.
"And I must say that you two look great together." The man smiled, Sarah blushing hard, only for Thomas to speak up.
"Brother and sister actually." Thomas quickly "corrected" the man, who rapidly looked up.
"My mistake, my sincerest apologies." The man quickly stated. "And what kind of vehicle are you looking for today?"
"Something enclosed with a bit of trunk space to do some general shopping with." Thomas asked.
"Well, all I got left with any kind of decent cargo space is one our electric trucks? I seen one of you is a trainer at least, you got any electric types?" The man asked.
"Do they just use a standard charge plate or is a wire pack?" Thomas asked.
"Wire Pack, seems like you know your stuff. Okay, here's the paperwork, take a moment to fill it out and I'll go over the rental agreement." The man started as Thomas nodded, but couldn't stop himself from looking outside, something still greatly wrong.
"Each vehicle has a tracker, try to keep it in the city, there's extra charges for long distance travel, and if you total the truck, we reserve the right to open an investigation and if your at fault, you pay for the truck. It comes with full roadside assistance though, everything from an emergency charge to break downs. And this is the emergency weather agreement, which I really need to point out right now. If the weather gets bad enough that the city needs to be shut down, you're required to bring the truck back as soon as possible." The man continued as Thomas just moved up to the window, something entirely bugging him badly.
"Is... he okay?" The man asked, glancing up the television again right as Sarah's face showed up, and then the man slowly looked back and forth between her and televison.
"I'm sorry... what did you say your name was again?" The man asked.
"M-marcy... Marcy James." Sarah replied in a bit a rush.
"Are you sure..." The man asked, Sarah backing up and then tugging on Thomas's sleeve a bit getting him to turn around.
"Wait you... the guy fro-" The man started only for Radara to finally react. Her eyes flashed and the man seemed to go a bit dull and then shook his head.
"I greatly apologize, I've got this major headache right now." The man stated. "What was your name again?"
"James and Marcy Orion. Marcy will be the driver." Thomas repeated as he moved back to the desk.
"And I'll need to see your pokedex and license please." The man asked.
"We're not trainers. My espeon is a therapy pokemon and Marcy's jolteon is a work pokemon." Thomas quickly added, the man thinking it over but nodding.
"Alrighty. That will be two-hundred a day, you'll get half of that back if the truck is returned in proper shape." The man stated, and Thomas just pulled out a small group of bills to pay the man, not really looking to see if he paid enough or even over paid. "Just wait here and I'll go pull the truck up and around for you. If you'll just follow me and wait up front." The man stated, clearly skipping some steps, but Sarah wasn't going to complain, they needed to leave and fast now.
The man quickly pulled out a small hard plastic case and then moved over to put a coat on and walk outside with them. He left them under the large awning by the side of the building and then walked into the back lot, coming out a moment later with the truck.
"Okay, here you are. If you need to return it back in because of the weather or something and we're not in, just park it in one of those spaces there and put the key back in this case, and drop the case in the return bin in front of the parking spot and connect it to the charger. If anything is wrong with the truck, we do reserve the charge you damages even after you return it if you bring it back in bad shape." The man stated, before quickly leaving them with the key.
Sarah quickly got in the driver side and looked it over, quickly familiarizing herself with the vehicle, and even double checking things. As she finished up though, she noticed that Thomas and Radara weren't inside though, making her honk the horn. "Get in!" She half yelled again, which thankfully got their attention before she left the truck rental spot and found a quiet place to park in a small alley way.
"What is wrong with you two!" Sarah snapped as soon as she parked and even turned off the engine.
"We don't know... everything feels wrong, our extra senses they..." Thomas started.
"You almost got us caught!" Sarah cried out heavily worried, and taking a moment to force herself to take a few deep breathes. "What is going on, you nearly got us caught, you screwed that whole thing up. I've seen Radara keep people distracted and not asking questions, and I can only hope that guy doesn't lose his job for how you much you skipped through the paperwork."
'I apologize, I'm... its almost like I'm drunk right now, our senses are impaired, everything feels wrong, Up feels like down, the world is saying something to me but I can't understand it.' Radara apologized, Sarah only getting more worried though.
"Let's... we need to get back to the boat. And then you need to talk with Suicune and Dahlia." Sarah stated as Thomas just turned around even in the seat and looked over the town a bit.
"And put your seatbelt on!" Sarah quickly snapped a bit as she took a few more breathes, before just starting to mumble a bit under her breath.
"Hands at ten and two, double check the mirrors, always stay in your lane and never turn on red..." Sarah started, repeating all the things that her father drilled into her head, trying to calm herself down by focusing on something else, just repeating it over and over before starting back for the pier and parking at the closer parking lot.
A quick walk, with Sarah almost pulling on Thomas and Radara to get them to move along and they were back on the boat. Sarah quickly opened the door and moved in. "I need some help here, like now!" Sarah cried out as Thomas and Radara were just on the outer ring of the boat, looking off towards the city still trying to find whatever the problem was.
Dahlia looked up confused for a moment, before looking back to Xent. "Gorden, I need to step away for a moment, can you finish this with my courier alone since I answered all the security questions and linked one of my personal pokeballs to his pokedex to confirm his identity?" Dahlia asked, sitting Xent back down when he went to get up.
"Yeah, at this point we can finish up. Its mostly confirming his status at this point." Gorden stated as Dahlia moved over to Sarah.
"What's going on?" Dahlia asked and Sarah quickly pulled her outside, trying her best to cover Dahlia with the umbrella to show off Thomas and Radara just standing there confused and concerned.
"Something happened, they almost let us get caught and really screwed up how to hide us getting a rental car. I hope the guy doesn't lose his job for how much he didn't fill out or anything. I don't even know how much he handed the man in the rental place to pay for it." Sarah explained.
"What do you mean something happened? And... you're not making much sense." Dahlia asked.
"I don't even know. Just help me get them inside, they keep getting distracted." Sarah stated firmly, trying to pull on Thomas, who was slow to even move, but with Dahlai's help, she got them both inside.
"Thank you again Gorden, I'll be there in an hour or so to physically confirm things hopefully." Xent stated and finally hung up as Dahlia half dragged Thomas and Radara inside.
"What's going on?" Xent asked as he put his pokedex away.
"I don't know... Their minds are weird." Dahlia stated looking over them, and then quickly fully shutting the blinds all over the boat. "Go get Suicune." She stated, and Sarah quickly rushed down the steps and into Dahlia's room to get Suicune's pokeball and released her.
As soon as Suicune came up, Dahlia just lightly pointed out Thomas and Radara who were trying to peak through the blinds at the helm. "What's going on you two? You're starting to worry me." Dahlia stated.
[Yes, what's wrong with you two?] Suicune asked, not even aware that Radara wasn't just translating right now.
"We don't know. Something, our mi... senses, I..." Thomas stumbled before walking away from the blinds and starting to look around the boat some, and then starting for the kitchen and leaning over the sink to look through the blinds again and into the city.
[What's happened to your senses?] Suicune asked.
'They... they're...' Radara tried to start, Dahlia and Suicune giving them each other strange looks.
"Get over here, sit on the couch." Dahlia stated, even tugging them along and forcing them to sit. Everyone started to crowd around as Dahlia took a seat on the table to face directly, and Suicune even gently wrapped her ribbons around Dahlia to try and calm her down too.
"Okay, slowly now. What's wrong with your senses?" Dahlia asked now, using a bit of mental influence to make the question stick and give Thomas and Radara something to focus on.
"I can't feel the world proper. Something is wrong though, something... someone needs help and yet we're not there, but..." Thomas started.
'We don't know where this where is...' Radara quickly added, Dahlia helping them focus. 'It's like someone just scrambled our ability to talk with each other, like its all a foreign language, a foreign feeling.'
[What do you mean? How can something scramble the senses of the world?] Suicune asked.
Dahlia just slowly gripped her amulet and sigil tightly though, Dahlia taking a slow deep breath. Seeing this, Suicune quickly wrapped her ribbons more carefully around her, and rubbing her head against her shoulder.
[Careful, don't do this if you can't.] Suicune whined a bit.
Dahlia just kept up her deep breathes though. "Describe it... slowly. Are your senses fading. Is there an echo to them, like they aren't quite... quite... do they feel like your feeling them twice, but not at once, maybe a second or so apart?" Dahlia asked.
'No, no its just... we're... I'm looking right towards Mount Coronet and yet it feels like its behind me.' Radara stated quickly, her tail pointing behind her and to the east, shaking her head.
"No, Mount Coronet is clearly right there." Thomas stated, pointing towards the back end of the boat, which was currently facing north, when Mount Coronet was actually to the west. "But I swear I can feel Simaya over there and over there." Thomas stated, now pointing inland, a bit to the southwest, and then again just south.
'Don't be a fool, you can't feel Samiya right now, the Sea Crown is dormant.' Radara stated rather loudly and annoyed, shaking her head before looking to Thomas. 'And are we just ignoring the fact that it feels like every single pulse in our heads feels like its being spoken wrong and … and I swear I hear the calls of Kyorge. If he wakes up, this storm will look peaceful!'
"I don't feel Kyorge waking at all." Thomas quickly countered. "I do feel a strong rippling of heat though, like Ho-oh when she's throwing a fit!"
"Hey... calm down!" Xent half shouted now, trying to get some attention, Dahlia and Suicune not sure at all what to think.
"I've... I... Well its not what I went through... but that can't be right." Dahlia said softly, thinking back about how her senses faded away, and while shaking a bit thinking about it, she just pulled her choker off and fully pressed it to her forehead.
"We need to take a step back... Before Dahlia has another break down." Xent added watching her and instantly all eyes were on her as she just tried to recover. Thomas quickly got up and held her, even Radara leaned over and getting into her lap.
"Its... its fine, just a hard topic..." Dahlia stated slowly, and after a moment re-affixed her choker and sigil all nice and proper, giving a long pause.
"But I've also never heard of what your describing." Dahlia added looking them both again, and then giving a small nod.
"We've certainly never felt this before." Thomas said, only for Radara to think about it, only for Radara to give a hard full body shiver and partial hiss as she practically fell over. Thomas quickly caught her though and held her close. "Hey, what happened? Are you okay? Is everything fine?" He asked very worried now looking over Suicune and Dahlia to see if they could give him an answer even before Radara calmed down and spoke.
'No... no maybe we have, it was just under something else. Do you recall the distorted feelings when we first entered the distortion world. Just the feeling while we were in the passage between, before the emptiness set in and... and we lost feeling with each other?' Radara asked, then looking to Dahlia.
"That... that was a feeling I never liked. It almost Argyle mad before we even got there, and I hated that feeling. But what could be causing that kind of feeling." Dahlia asked, even more confused.
'Perhaps... perhaps this storm is the result of the distortion then? Your twin senses always allowed you to feel the world more then we could. Together, you would feel the entire world and I can only feel the waters of the world. Maybe that is why your feeling this and I am not?' Suicune asked looking to Dahlia.
"So, the distortion is causing this weird freak storm then?" Sarah asked having mostly been listening for now.
"Its possible, but what could have linked us to it?" Thomas asked.
"Hey... what about that weird shard thing? I think you called it a plate? The thing that made you go all ghostly. You said that it wasn't normal right? Could it do other things when you touched it?" Xent asked.
"I doubt it. The whole ghost type thing, its more a veil between life and death, not between places. We'd have to ask Darkria more about that plate though, see if he learned anything. Unless we want to travel to Alta Mare. I'd feel... unwelcome about going there with all the attention though." Dahlia shrugged a bit.
"Alta Mare?" Sarah asked.
"You know someone there who might know more about that plate?" Xent asked, but Thomas shook his head a bit.
"You might know them as the legendary Eon Duo. Latias and Latios are well... kind of the keepers of our crystals. While our mother Arceus manages and handles all the blessings involved with gold, the crystals that we use to help hide our sanctuaries and such things, like the construction of the Sea Crown, that's more what they do. She couldn't be everywhere at once, and gave birth and power over the crystals to them to help out." Thomas noted, still holding Radara who was still calming down a bit from whatever came over her.
'I find it doubtful that they would know anything about it though. The Plates were all mother's domain, not theirs. While she did give them control over the crystals more then any us, they also fear the distortion more than any of us. They are more connected to crystals scattered throughout the world then we are, and to not feel them induces madness. If the storm is responcible because of the crystals though, they might know how deal with that.' Radara added, finally nodding to Thomas, who let her go.
"Its unsafe to leave the city right now with that storm though, but it might be worth asking." Dahlia asked. "Which sanctuaries would have crystals we could use though?"
'There is the Sera Sanctuary. Its out of the way and would allow us to stay hidden on the way there.' Suicune offered, finally heard by the group in full as Radara was translating again, but Dahlia shivered a bit and shook her head some.
"Nope. Not a fan. Where else?" Dahlia quickly asked.
"What's wrong with Sera Sanctuary?" Sarah asked.
"I don't like the depths. I'm not a fan of being that deep under water." Dahlia quickly stated.
"Is there any other place close?" Xent asked.
"Well, the obvious choice would have been Mount Coronet, but at that point we should ask mother." Thomas noted.
"She is resting after helping me so much, I don't want to disturb her for a month. She wouldn't say it, but I know she pushed herself to hard. I don't want to strain her anymore then she is right now, not for another month at the very least." Dahlia quickly added as well.
'And she would likely turn it all towards you anyway, given the recent news.' Suicune sighed some. 'I know she means well, but she does need to think about herself some times. She'll worry herself to death.'
"Arceus... watches human news?" Xent asked, entirely confused now.
"Directly, no. But Darkrai follows it out of curiosity, and isn't know for keeping secrets that would amuse him. And I know that some of our elder brothers and sisters would follow it in the past, so by know, I would assume mother knows something. But she needs her rest, and I am not eager to leave my boat alone for long time right now." Dahlia quickly stated.
'Then our only option that isn't under water or too far inland would be Snowpoint City and the temple of Regigias under the glacier near there.' Radara added, slowly calming herself down, her fur finally smooth again, only for Thomas to stand up.
"Look, I... I'm sorry, but I need to step outside. I have to try to reorient my senses. I'm starting to feel the Mirage Kingdom under my feet and I... I just, I-i. Oh boy, I feel like my feet are off the ground now and the waves aren't helping..." Thomas stated giving a small shiver.
"Look, can I just ask about this whole fear of flight thing? I thought it was implied that you could fly, but you seem really out of it." Xent asked.
"I'd, I-i..." Thomas started, clearly wanting to avoid the topic.
"Thomas lost a hand because of a fall from the sky once and spent almost half a life missing most of an arm because of it." Dahlia just noted.
"Dahlia!" Thomas half snapped now.
"You were a hero for it! You should be proud of that, you saved Latias, Lugia, helped banished the evil that tried to take over the world. You need to wear that as a badge of honor, it was one of your greatest moments of strength." Dahlia countered.
Xent was just silent for a moment, much like Sarah as Thomas and Radara stared down Dahlia a bit. "I think he needs some therapy and I'm not even joking." Xent finally stated.
'We need to be outside.' Radara quickly noted as she pulled over Thomas's coat and her own again, Thomas rushing to put it on before almost jumping out the door and using psychic to make the jump from the door all the way up to the pier in one step in his moment of fear and rush to get solid ground under this feet, Radara rushing after him.
"Well... I guess we're going to get the in person part of the bank sorted out. Xent, would you go and get Verna. I would like her to come with us while Zai helps hide the boat if needed with Juno. The two of them should be able handle issues with illusions alone." Dahlia stated.
"Wait, ninetales can make illusions?" Sarah asked.
"Ninetales can do a great many things with age. I've heard tales about them being mistaken for a legendary pokemon in regions where vulpix aren't common. Illusions, extreme intelligence, rumors are that some can speak." Xent shrugged.
"Well, that's not inaccurate, but its not something that all of them can do. Juno can, but she doesn't like to since it takes a lot of effort. With Zai helping her and the need to hide, she'll do what she can." Dahlia noted getting up and heading over to get her pokeball while Xent went down and woke up Zai and Juno, while also getting Verna's pokeball.
~xXx~
The truck was just a little cramped with all three of them and Radara in the cab, and Xent tried to give Thomas a few notes and tricks, but it was clear that he was distracted, Radara working hard to keep him steady and help with the whole feeling of flight thing, when she was giving a full body shiver herself.
It wasn't the best of sights to see them so freaked out as Xent went in to a small shop to get a few items to help them hide better before they got to the bank, a very fancy building and Xent walked with in Dahlia and Verna at his side, Verna and Dahlia helping Radara to make it so people didn't ask questions.
It didn't take too long for Xent to get confirmed as the courier and then he left, coming back out only to find Thomas really out of it standing out in the rain on top of a elevated walkway over the main road.
"Is... he going to be okay?" Xent asked as he walked out of the bank with Dahlia and Verna at his side.
"I wish I knew... I've never heard of this before." Dahlia whispered back quietly, fairly worried herself, looking over to the rental truck where Sarah was clearly worried herself.
The weather was still bad and the rain was hard. Thomas and Radara were just up there though, a small psychic sheet was protecting them like an umbrella, but it still didn't look good as Xent just tightened up his coat again. "Should I go and... I don't know, get him?" Xent asked, only for a large flash of light to spark across the sky.
To the rest of the city, it was just a large flash of lightning followed by a crack of thunder, one of the large sky scrapers attracting the bolt and supposedly harmlessly disapating. Dahlia, Thomas, and Radara all quickly turned to face it though, Thomas suddenly running off and fast.
"Hey!" Xent called out, only for Dahlia to grab him and pull him back.
"Car, now." Dahlia stated rushing to the car, Xent and Verna rushing along after her.
"Where's Thomas going, shouldn't we stop him?" Sarah asked as soon as they got to the truck, already opening the door for them.
"Xent, drive." Dahlia stated as she got in and didn't return to her pokeball for the moment.
"What... where? What's going on?" Xent asked quickly starting up the truck.
"That wasn't a normal bolt of lightning, that was Raikou! He avoids cities, if he's here then there has to be a reason, and he didn't sound friendly." Dahlia yelled, pointing forward, Xent grumbling and quickly pulling out of the parking lot.
"I have to follow the laws of the road right now, but lead the way. I assume that you track him." Xent stated as Dahlia just pointed in the general direction, following Thomas's and Radara's minds.
"Easily. Raikou's method of travel isn't exactly subtle, it leaves a trail that easy for us legendaries and god-children to see. Just try to keep me out in the open, I need to see the sky to see his path." Dahlia noted.
-x-
Thomas and Radara raced down the streets, the lack of real crowds on the sidewalks gave them plenty of room to run even as they sped down the sidewalks, some clarity in their senses if not perfect. Taking whatever path they could, even cutting through some alley ways and jumping over fences and trash cans and what not in their way, it was a rush to try and figure out what was where.
A bit of panic was setting in for them both now, wondering if this was the feeling of need that was haunting them, but unable to tell where as they just raced into the city towards the sky scraper that had been struck by lightning. It the first time ever that they ever felt like wouldn't make it time as they rounded one last corner and slowed down, both of them looking around along a semi-crowded street in the middle of the city.
Thomas just reached into pocket and pulled out a small scarf, hiding part of face at least now as he just carefully walked around, tightening his hood as well. "I don't like this... where do we need to be?" Thomas asked, his voice full on concern as he looked around the skyscraper, and then a few other large tall office buildings.
'This... is the right building right? I thought the lightning struck that one... or was it that one?' Radara asked, her own voice showing her concern as well, the slightest of echoes in it from her own worry.
"I thought it was this one. It has the fancy lights on the base of the statues, the ones that change colors to show off the statues and draw attention to them. See, they just changed again." Thomas noted, looking up to make sure and as he was talking, the lights went from pure white to a bright blue on the statues of the legendary pokemon statues.
'I hate this... we... why aren't we... are we broken?' Radara whined a bit as she couldn't help but feel out of place right now, only to feel the pulses of other misplaced temples in the world.
"Look, we both think that was Raikou right? Then maybe we were supposed to be here, in this city. It wasn't our first choice right, but we voted in favor in coming here over risking it another day and stopping at the next town right?" Thomas countered, looking back over the streets, only to just barely glance a strange marking.
"Hey... that guy, like forty feet in front of us, other side of the road. Gray hat, trainer's belt, gray and white pokeballs." Thomas pointed out quietly having thought he saw the team galactic logo while he changing coats in the back of a box truck.
Radara quickly took a peak into their minds, and gave a small hiss. 'They are Team Galactic grunts, four of them. Supervisor needs him fast for something big apparently. They don't know what, but bring electrical gear and get a cage prepped, those were their orders.'
"It could be that they are why we're here in the first place. Should we follow them?" Thomas asked, slowly down and stopping a short distance back, moving under an awning for a moment.
'I sadly do not have any better ideas. I still don't know where to we need to be.' Radara replied, Thomas and Radara then slowly moving up and Radara put a lot of effort into hiding them from the four Team Galactic grunts.
"Let's take it slow, get close enough to listen in, but not too close. You focus on them and I'll keep eyes and ears out for anything else." Thomas explained, taking a good look around, letting Radara guide his walking though as focused a bit more on trying to find anything else odd around them, looking for any other clues that might help them find out if they were needed and what Raikou was doing in the city.
Following along at a bit of a distance, there was another loud crack of thunder in the area, but this one absent from a lightning strike, and Thomas and Radara knew that had to be Raikou now, and he was in the city, but there wasn't anything on the news, and Thomas even checked the trainer network for anything, but it was strangely quite tonight until Thomas searched his name and found that's where all the activity was, dozens of links to external forums and more since the Trainer Network seemed to be fully cooperating with police and federal officials and refused to share any information about himself on the site itself.
Still, with nothing to find there, Thomas put his pokedex away and as he rounded one last corner with Radara, they could see an easy dozen Galactic Grunts ahead now tucked away in the back alleys of a few buildings, Radara of course hiding them and helping them to be ignored right now.
'They are waiting for orders, their supervisor should be here soon. They have lots of electrical gear on hand and a shock proof cage in that large heavy duty box truck, that even has padded walls inside. The one with the giant wild life reserve logos, no doubt to help avoid questions if whatever pokemon they are after makes a bit of a fuss.' Radara explained, closing her eyes and opening them a moment later with her true eyes right now, trying to see if she could make out anything different.
Thomas quickly did the same, but instead he looked to the skies, and sure enough to could see minor traces of electrical power in the air, confirmation that Raikou had been somewhere nearby recently. "I don't see anything else, but there are definitely traces of electrical static in the air and not from the storm. It certainly looks like Raikou riding the lightning, but... can we really be sure with our messed up senses right now?"
'We have nothing better to work with right now. Let's wait for this supervisor, their boss to show up and see if they know anything. Its the only lead that I can of think of right now with nothing else to go on.' Radara stated.