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Excellent Fanfic, though it took me forever to catch up to the current chapters. I like seeing it from the pokemon's point of view for once...That's probably been done before, but I haven't played Mystery Dungeon or read many fanfics anyway. The only problem with the story is that they go from place to place, and new events start up too quickly without much explanation. For example, when Mt. Steel was destroyed the were suddenly in the Sacred Forest, then the Legendary Dogs blasted them to Kyogre's Island, then after the wave they were in the Evolution kingdom. So basically you just need more event explanation and better location transition.
Hey there, Glajummy! I noticed your fic on another forum, but never got a chance to read it until you posted here! I'm glad that I finally got a chance to sit down and read this! It's well done for a first-time fic, but I'm sure that you heard that enough. ^^
I checked your reviews elsewhere, and saw that you weren't getting much grammar help. Have no fear, because I am here.
The first thing that I want to teach you about is punctuation for dialogue. Don't worry. It's a very tricky thing for people to figure out. It's best to show you examples.
Chapter One said:
"You've already found one." He said looking my way, as if the statement was directed at me.
Here, you would make the full stop after "one" into a comma, and lowercase the "he". Why? Because it's a continuation of the sentence. You're describing how he spoke.
But, if you didn't use "said", or another way to describe his dialogue…
example said:
"You've already found one." He looked my way, as if the statement was directed at me.
And actually, you seem to have a lot of missing punctuation. I'm going to stop focusing on them. (I can point them out if you wish!) What I am going to focus on is misspellings, missing words, and other "big" issues.
Other than those grammar mistakes, this is looking to be a great story! I'm going to have to come back to continue reading this when you update! Good luck to you!
An unfamiliar cool breeze struck my body, knocking me out of my coma. I opened my eyes and was revealed a beautiful blue shy with fast moving, white clouds. The sun shone brightly in my face as I squinted.
"What the – where am I!?" I screamed, forcing my limbless body upward.
"The roof of Elemental Tower." answered a familiar voice from behind me. I looked over and saw a smiling Zeke and Silk.
"What happened? The last thing I remember is-." that was when I remembered the Fearow announcing our victory.
"We won... WE BEAT SETH!!!" Zeke yelled to the heavens.
"I can't wait to rub it in his face. Where is he now?"
"Back at the Kingdom. Apparently, that's where all the losers go." Silk replied with a smirk.
"Ha-ha! He's back there with Team Jagged!" I teased.
"Yup, and Team Creation..." Silk said softly. I immediately stopped my teasing and stared blankly into space.
"Team Creation... lost?" I finally said. It took me so long to ponder because it was so hard to believe.
"Yup, to some guys called Team Regi. The 'so-called' reigning champs." Zeke responded.
I slowly lowered myself to the ground. I knew we couldn't beat Team Creation, so how could we beat these guys?
"DAMN THAT TEAM REGI! THEY'LL RUIN THE WHOLE PLAN!!!" I yelled with all my might.
"Quiet down Sapphire! Team Regi is right there!" Zeke shouted, pointing at the other side of the roof. I looked over and saw three colossal Pokemon staring at me.
The first Pokemon was made completely of different types of rocks and minerals. The rocks were arranged in a way so it looked like the Pokemon had arms, legs and various other body parts.
The second Pokemon was completely made of a sturdy ice that didn't even liquefy in the blazing sun. The icy prisms formed this Pokemon's body parts.
The third Pokemon was completely made of steel that I had never seen before. Its hard body glinted in the sunlight as the light reflected of its metallic body parts.
"We can take these guys out if we really try!" Zeke encouraged.
***** 10 minutes later *****
"AHH, MY SPLEEN!!!" Zeke cried out in pain as we were dragged off the battlefield. That was probably the most humiliating defeat anybody could face... EVER.
"AND OUR WINNERS ARE OUR REIGNING CHAMPS, TEAM REGI!!!" yelled a Fearow flying above us.
We were left on the edge of the roof as we rested.
"No wonder Neos and the others lost. Those guys fight like legends!" I said as I regained strength.
"Fight like legends? I wouldn't be surprised if they were legends themselves." Silk added.
A large screech from the sky suddenly filled my ears. Hidden by the sun's bright light flew a flock of Fearows that lowered onto the roof.
"Come aboard finalist!" said a Fearow from behind us, "It's my job to bring you back to Evolution Kingdom."
"Can you carry all three of us?" I asked, worried that something would go wrong.
"Well, seeing as you can't hold on, you'll have to deal with being carried by my claws. Your friends, on the other hand, can ride on my back"
"Great..." I retorted, levitating towards the Fearow.
***********
We were flying toward the volcano-part of the Battle Terrain. As we passed over the dormant giant, smoke covered my face and I coughed violently. Amazingly, on the other side of the volcano, was a concrete castle surrounded by smaller buildings. It stood almost as tall as the Elemental Tower. Surrounded it, and the smaller buildings, was a large, stone wall that probably came in handy during times of war. The sun began to set as we neared our destination.
"Welcome to Evolution Kingdom. All teams are to report to the royal hall when the sun completely sets." the Fearow instructed as we landed on the roof of the castle. After everyone dismounted the Fearows, they flew off into the distance. There were many doors on the roof leading to the inside of the castle.
"That doesn't leave much time to ourselves." Silk said, walking towards one of the doors. Me and Zeke quickly followed.
She pushed through the door, which happened to be unlocked, and revealed a set of stairs.
"I wonder where this leads..." she whispered before running down them.
"She's gonna get us killed one day." Zeke joked before following her down the stairs. I remained silent and followed too.
The stairway got darker and darker as we hiked down the long set of stairs. I was beginning to think we were lost until we finally caught sight of light. We followed the light to a rather large, unlocked door. Silk simply pushed it open like the first. The door led to the middle of a long hallway.
"It's about time you got here." said a voice not too far from the door. We looked over to see Seth panting hard as if he was in a rush.
"Sorry we're late. We were busy participating in the final match." I teased.
"I heard you guys didn't last ten minutes. You know what that means right?"
"Yeah... no stone." Silk answered, her head bowed down in shame.
"Oh Seth!!! Where are you!?" cried a feminine voice from around the corner of the hallway. It sounded a little too girly to be Crystal.
"Oh no! She's caught up to me..." Seth sighed.
"Who?" we all asked simultaneously.
"Amy..." he simply answered, along with some other words that I couldn't quite catch.
From the corner of the hallway ran one of the prettiest Pokemon I had ever seen. With a fox-like figure very similar to Seth's; the Pokemon fashioned two small, yellow wings that looked like it could sustain it in mid-air if used at a low elevation. Stars very similar to the star tags of the tournament appeared on each of the Pokemon's legs and her forehead. Even her tail was tipped with a yellow star. Between her two, pointed ears was a halo that mysteriously floated above her head. Her smooth, yellow fur brushed backward as she rushed towards us.
"Seth, why do you keep running away from me?" she asked in a flirty tone as she closed in on us.
"Uh... maybe it's because I've known you for only two hours and yet, you won't stop following me around!" he retorted.
"So, you're Amy?" I said while moving forward, possibly breaking up an argument.
"You got that right! Amy the Angeon!" she answered with a grin spread across her face.
"Nice to meet you Amy. I'm Sapphire and this is Zeke and Silk" I pointed at my teammates as I named them. Everyone nodded at each other.
"Okay, now that we're all acquainted, have you seen Neos?" Seth asked.
"No, we just came from the roof remember? I was hoping you saw him." I answered.
"Where could he possibly be?" Silk asked, worried about her friends.
"The most logical explanation is that he knew you couldn't win the tournament, so he went to get a glimpse of the stone. However, he can read human text, so what's the point?" Seth pondered.
"Maybe he doesn't want to read it... maybe he wants to steal it...." I added.
"Steal it... I was searching through the castle before Amy here started searching for me."
"It doesn't matter!" she shouted, "The prize stone isn't even kept here."
"WHAT!?" we all screamed.
"Well, the trophies are awarded here in the castle. The stone, however, is kept in the Temple of Groudon, which is at the base of the Volcano. The temple itself is guarded by some strong Pokemon."
"Amy... why didn't you tell me this before?" Seth asked grimly.
"You were too busy running away from me that I never got to ask why you were exploring the castle." Seth immediately fell silent as we glared at him.
"Can you show us the way out of here?" he asked politely, breaking the silence.
"Okay, but we have to hurry. The sun will completely set soon." she said, running down the hallways. I snickered at Seth before following behind her.
**********
The more we rushed through the large castle, the more I wanted to stay. The structure was beautifully made and the walls were fluttered with paintings. The concrete walls looked hard and sturdy, as if the only thing that could break them was some mythical beast. As we exited the castle, we saw that nightfall was only a few minutes.
"Do you think the award ceremony will start without us?" I asked as we picked up the pace. We still needed to get on the other side of the wall.
"Without you, it'll start no problem. But seeing as I'm Root and Crystal's cousin, that could be a problem." We all stopped and stared at Amy in anger, "Okay, I guess I should have to you that before..."
The small village was much more appealing than the one we saw while traveling with Abby and Daren. The buildings were made of stone rather than the wood and the substance that held them together clearly wasn't Lickitung saliva, but I didn't want to stick around to find out what it was. Many different types of Pokemon were heading toward the castle, undoubtedly to observe the award ceremony. As we neared the exit of the kingdom, we noticed the gates were left unguarded.
"Where are the guards?" Seth asked before stopping at the gates. We had to get them open before we could go any farther.
"Most likely, guarding the castle itself. How did your friend get on the other side without opening the gate?" Amy asked, walking toward a booth near the gate. We followed her in where we saw the lever to open the gates.
"You'd be surprised as to what Neos can do." I answered as she pulled down the lever.
With a loud a loud creak, the gates slid open, revealing the monstrous volcano.
"Hey! What are you kids doing here?" yelled a manly voice from outside the booth. We all rushed out, only to meet face-to-face with a bear-like Pokemon. Its brown fur brushed in the wind and its sharp claws extended as it revealed its fangs.
"Well? What are doing here, touching my lever." the Ursaring howled.
"Hey! Back off!" Amy shouted, stepping up to the enormous Pokemon.
"Miss Amy... it is my job to stop all Pokemon who wish to exit the kingdom without royal consent from Root or Crystal. You are no exception."
"Stand down Amy! This guy is way too big for you." Seth said, stepping up.
Completely disregarding his statement, she charged at him and jumped into the air. Using her wings, she increased her speed before slamming head-first into Ursaring's body. However, she simply bounced off of the broad Pokemon and fell on her back. The Ursaring raised its arm high and picked up Amy by the neck with the other.
"I'm sorry, Miss Amy..." he whispered before slashing her across the stomach with his long claws. She rolled over the dirt many time before landing on her back and her stomach bleeding badly.
"YOU *******!!!" Seth shouted before shooting his body at the Ursaring. His body became surrounded in a black aura before he finally impacted his opponent. Unlike Amy's attack, the strike sent the bear Pokemon staggering backward. Taking advantage of this brief moment of defenselessness, Seth dropped his lower jaw and focused all his power to his mouth. When the moment was right, he shot out black rings from his mouth that knocked Ursaring off his feet and left him unconscious.
'That's my move...' I thought to myself before walking over to Amy, who was struggling to her feet.
"Are you okay Amy? That gash is pretty deep..." Seth said as he rushed over. Amy simply grinned at us and closed her eyes. The halo above her head, along with her stars, began to light up. Her cut suddenly closed themselves up and vanished without a trace.
"I'm perfectly fine, hun. I just loved the way you reacted to me getting hurt, Seth..." Amy said softly as she snuggled up to him.
"If I see a friend in danger, I help them. That's all, nothing more..." he replied, walking toward the open gates.
I wanted to give him a good slap in the face, but that was impossible without my arms. I dismissed the thought and we all walked out of the kingdom. We had to walk uphill as hiked for the volcano. The air around us began to get hot even though the volcano was dormant. The closer we got to the volcano, the less grass we saw until we were walking on bare soil. I looked up to the sky in search of the sun, only to find out that it wasn't there.
"Time's up..." I whispered as we picked up our pace.
In time, the landscape went flat and we were able to run even faster. Soon enough, we caught sight of the Temple of Groudon. We slowed down as we neared it, before a final stop. We stared at what was in front of the temple. Lying unconscious on the ground were two Machoke, who were most likely guarding the temple.
"Who did this?" Zeke asked as he and Silk checked the Pokemon for bruises.
"That would be our doing!" shouted a familiar voice from inside the temple. From the dark doorway of the temple ran both Abby and Daren who tackled Zeke and Silk to the ground ad hugged us tightly. Behind them walked Neos, who was carrying a large, obsidian stone in his hands.
"Good to see you guys are okay." Abby said as she and Daren hopped off of Zeke and Silk.
"Right back at 'cha." Zeke replied as he brushed himself off.
After Abby and Daren got acquainted with Amy, Neos walked up and said, "Sapphire, I think you need to see this." He brought the stone to me and placed it gently on the ground. As I examined it, I began to translate:
I am the beast of the lands. I dwell deep in the planet's crust, dormant until my time comes. My destiny has already been foretold, and I have decided that my own island will be my victim. It will all begin with a quake... and unusually strong quake. Then the volcano I reside in will erupt, and my strike will begin. I will burn down any living creature I see, and dispose of their body's by sending them plummeting to the core. I am the beast of the lands. I am Groudon.
"What the – our most wise elders can't even read the sacred text. How did you..." Amy was left stunned. I also noticed Abby and Daren back up a bit.
"I'll explain later, okay? Right now, we need to get to the village and-." I was interrupted by Neos tackling me to the ground.
"Why'd you do that!?" I shouted.
"That's why..." I answered, pointing at the volcano. From the side of the volcano rolled a fairly large boulder that was picking up speed. Within seconds, it crashed hard onto the ground, crushing both the temple and the obsidian rock.
"Neos, you saved-." I was interrupted again, but this time by a weird vibration. I levitated above the ground but for some reason, I still felt the vibrations... as if the entire planet was shaking.
"Am I the only one who feels that?" I asked, dreading the answer that was to come.
"IT'S A QUAKE!!!" Amy shrieked before falling to her knees.
"Stop over dramatizing, Amy! We need-." Seth was disrupted when he too fell to the floor.
"The quake is too strong, we can't keep our balance." Neos muttered before falling to his knees.
The quake caused even more boulders to fall from the volcano, and we couldn't dodge them this time. Suddenly, a large plume of ash burst from the top of the volcano. The gray cloud plunged everything into darkness, making it hard to see the boulders that were falling down. Then the quake suddenly stopped and everyone got to their feet, but the volcano was still shaking...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!
The volcano exploded with full force with ash and molten rock shooting up in the sky. Regardless of the ash cloud, the molten rock turned the sky a fiery orange and we saw the horror that was befalling us. Lava slowly seeped from every crack in the volcano, advancing toward our group. Without hesitation, Neos lifted his hand and surrounded it in a blue aura. From his palm shot a blue ball of energy that headed straight for the boulders. Using his still-glowing hand to guide the orb, he blew up every single boulder, reducing them to mere pebbles.
"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAR!!!" growled the volcano... or more accurately, what was inside it.
Two large, crimson-red hands emerged from the mouth of the volcano. The hands pulled hard on the outer crater, dragging up a beast of immense proportions. Standing at nearly eleven and a half feet, the creature stared at us with yellow eyes. Its scales showed off the same shade of red as lava and its body was covered in weird patters, similar to Kyogre's. Its long, flat tail whipped around wildly as it raised its head high. Exposing its sharp fangs, it spewed an enormous flame from its mouth before letting out another roar.
"It seems that I overslept. I can sense Kyogre's filthy water poisoning my lands. But now my time has come. My Legendary Strike shall commence!!!" it shouted to the heavens with a monstrous voice.
I let out a deep sigh and murmured, "Here we go again..."
***** End of Chapter 13 *****
Added Amy's pic to first post
Spoiler:
Attacks used in the chapter: Dark Pulse (Seth), Pursuit (Seth), Wave-Guding Bomb (Neos), Recover (Amy)
I'm too lazy to edit the first post. I will when I post the next chapter (tomorrow). I'll keep you guys' advice in mind while writing Chapter 16.
Chapter 14: The Legendary Strike - Groudon's Rage
We all stared in disbelief as Groudon roared to the heavens. A few more stray rocks came rolling toward us, but Neos took care of them as he did before.
"Wow, Neos is so cool..." Amy whispered.
"Is not..." I heard Seth mutter.
"Now's not the time for this, guys!" I shouted, "We have to get out here!"
As Neos finished with the boulders, we all made a 180 turn back for the kingdom.
"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!?" Groudon roared. The legendary beast turned around and stuck his hands deep inside the volcano. As he pulled them out, he was holding a large boulder that was seeping with lava. After raising the stone above his head, he chucked it as us.
"Head up guys!" Seth shouted. We all stopped as the boulder landed only feet from our position, spewing molten rock everywhere.
Daren and Neos ran in front of everyone and surrounded us all in a purple barrier. The rocks simply bounced off the protective barrier and tumbled to the ground.
"YOU CHILDREN SHALL NOT ESCAPE MY WRATH!!!" Groudon snarled. He grabbed another rock from the volcano and threw it, but this one was bigger... much bigger. I knew the barrier couldn't protect us this time.
Suddenly, a white beam zigzagged for the boulder and struck it head on. I knew what type of attack it was, but I was certain until I saw all the lava disappear and the boulder slowly turned to ice. The now icy rock was stopped in its tracks and fell to ground at a safe distance. On impact with the ground, ice shards flew in all directions, but the psychic barrier proved its purpose.
"What's going on here!?" shouted a bold, feminine voice from behind us. We turned around to see Regice and all the rest of Team Regi. Behind them were Root, Crystal, and a flock of Fearow.
"You guys weren't satisfied by losing the tournament so you go and blow up our volcano?" Regirock asked in rugged, masculine voice.
"Don't look at us! It was him!" Amy shouted, pointing at the beast standing at the edge of the volcano.
"Groudon has... awakened?" Registeel said in a robotic voice as he stepped up. Although it was hard to tell, I figured that he was male.
"Amy, get back here this instant!" Crystal shouted. Neos and Daren lowered the barrier and allowed Amy to run to her family.
"YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME!?" Groudon roared. He bent low and stared at us with blank eyes. With one final growl, he leapt off of the volcano and soared in the air. When he landed, another small quake filled the land and knocked everyone to their feet again... Everyone except Team Regi.
"So Groudon... how long has it been?" Regice said with a smirk.
"SINCE WHAT? I DON'T REMEMBER EVER MEETING YOU WEAKLINGS. HOWEVER, I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR DEMISE!!!"
"No point in talking it out, Regice. We'll just have to settle this the old fashioned way." Registeel suggested as the dotted pattern on his fact began to light up. From the pattern he shot out a large ball of electricity at Groudon. Nonetheless, Groudon simply raised his hand. With a flick of the wrist, he smacked the ball into a nearby mountain.
"PATHETIC..." he growled as he charged in Regirock's direction.
"I can't believe we're witnessing this..." Zeke whispered as everyone got to their feet.
As he neared Regirock, Groudon raised his hand high in the air. With a swift swipe, he clawed at Regirock's sturdy body. Very unexpectedly, the attack left deep gashes in Regirock's body. Regirock staggered backward, in shock that he could ever be so badly damaged. Uncaring that his opponent wasn't ready; Groudon raised his head upward so his mouth was facing the sky and opened it. Whatever sunlight that was getting through the ash cloud seemed to be collecting in Groudon's mouth as a small, yellow orb began to form. He then slowly lowered his head upon Regirock, his mouth still wide open.
"Hey! Watch out!" Registeel shouted at his partner, knocking the sense back into him.
However, it was too late. From the yellow orb in his mouth, Groudon released a bright yellow beam that struck Regirock directly in the face. A thick, gray smoke quickly filled the area in which the Pokemon were battling.
"Okay guys, I think it's time to get out of here!" Neos shouted.
"Yeah, we need to warn and evacuate the kingdom." Root declared.
We all made a run for it while the Fearow flew above us.
"Hey why don't we just ride the Fearow?" I suggested as I saw how fast they were flying.
"Great idea Sapphy!" Silk complemented as everyone slowed to a stop. Crystal then signaled the Fearow, who swooped in low slowly and everyone got their own, individual carrier. Of course, I had to be carried by the claws... curse this damn evolution.
As we passed over the hill that we recently hiked to get to the mountain, we caught sight of the kingdom... and I really wished we hadn't. The large, molten rocks that had been blown out of the volcano when it erupted, finally decided it was time to come back down. And they decided to come down on the kingdom.
A massive fire stretched across the entire kingdom as red-hot rocks continued to smash down on the small houses that surrounded the castle. The roof of the castle, which we had so recently landed on, was now occupied by a large rock that was dripping with lava. An eerie hissing sound filled the area as the lava slowly burned through the stone buildings...
PISHHHHHHH...
Small holes began appearing all over the front gates as small, hot pebbles seared through the sky...
PISHHHHHHH...
The walls that encased the kingdom were no more, as boulder after boulder smashed into them with no end of their assault in sight.
PISHHHHHHH...
Pokemon, big and small, frantically tried to flee their village as if the end of the world were upon them. However, without their beloved walls protecting them, the firestorm picked them off, one by one...
PISHHHHHHH... The sound of burning flesh...
"Make it STOP!!!" Crystal bawled, trying to block out the sound.
"Evolution Kingdom... has fallen..." Root admitted, bowing his head in shame...
*** Meanwhile – Team Regi VS Groudon ***
"ROCK!!!" Regice screamed at the gray cloud that had engulfed the battling Pokemon. Slowly, the smoke began to dissipate, and the Regis saw the horror that had befallen their teammate. Lying hopelessly on the floor, Regirock's badly bruised body showed no signs of life. Only feet away from him was Regirock's severed arm, which he had used at the last second to block Groudon's blast. Now separate from the Pokemon, the arm broke apart and returned to ordinary rocks.
"I WAS SAVING THAT FOR KYORGRE. TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!?" Groudon growled while also laughing. Regirock, of course, did not respond.
"Ice, I have a plan. But first you need to bring Rock's over here." Registeel whispered as he walked up to his teammate.
"Okay Steel, but there's one problem. How do we get him away from Groudon?" Ice responded after calming down from the sight of her friend's battered body.
"We'll both distract him and when the time is right, you leave the battle and go for Rock."
With a simple nod, the two Pokemon charged at Groudon.
"PROLONGING YOUR DEATH WILL DO YOU NO GOOD!" Groudon roared as he faced his opponents.
Ice abruptly stopped while Steel jumped high in the air. Groudon stared at the two Pokemon with a confused look, clueless as to what they were planning. Without hesitation, Ice blasted a white beam from the dotted pattern on her head. The confident Groudon retaliated by making a 360 turn, deflecting the beam away in the spin.
"You should have dodged it!" Steel shouted, surprising an unsuspecting Groudon. Diving head-first at his opponent, Steel slammed hard into Groudon, actually knocking the brute down.
"Now, get Rock!" Steel instructed as he got to his feet. Unfortunately, he wasn't even able to take a step toward his friends, as Groudon reached out and grabbed his leg.
"JUST FOR THAT, YOU DIE SLOW..." Groudon hissed as he got to his feet, flipping Steel upside down. Raising his arm up like a baseball pitcher, Groudon hurled Steel at a nearby boulder. Unknown to Groudon though, the boulder was only feet away from Rock and Ice.
"Okay Rock, I gotta get you closer to Steel." Ice said as she grabbed his free hand.
"I can... do it myself." Rock said softly.
"How are you... conscious?" asked a surprised Ice.
"Your icy cold touch can wake up the dead. Does wonders for the unconscious." Rock joked as he struggled to get to his feet. With Ice's help, he managed to make it over to Steel.
"Are you guy's ready?" Steel asked as he stumbled toward his friends.
"More than ever..." his teammates replied immediately.
Without hesitation, he joined hands with the two Pokemon and began to concentrate hard. Within seconds, the dotted patterns on all three Pokemon began to light up, and eventually, their entire bodies. Team Regi looked as if they were fusing into one being when an enormous figure took the place of the three Pokemon. The figure rapidly increased in size until it surpassed even Groudon in size. Then, the light disappeared, and a new Pokemon entered the scene.
Standing at more than twelve feet, a multi-colored Pokemon stared down a shocked Groudon. Its skin was a pale white and dividing its upper body in half was a large, golden material. Its shoulders and wrists were surrounded by the same golden material. Its long, white legs ended in a green, mossy color. In the middle of its body were six dots colored red, blue, and silver. Each color was assigned two dots.
"Behold Groudon, do you remember me now?" the Pokemon said. Its voice sounded like Steel, Rock, and Ice talking simultaneously.
"REGIGIGAS... YOU HAVE NEVER CEASED TO AMAZE ME!!!" Groudon roared with a laugh.
"Groudon, I thought we had a deal. At the end of the last Legendary Strike, you came to me looking for a place to rest. I created this volcano for you so it could blend in with the rest of the area. I created this terrain to show off the planet's natural wonders and I trusted the 'Beast of the Land' to respect it. In return, you told me that you would remain dormant for all eternity." Regigigas said, stepping up to Groudon.
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, REGIGIGAS. A NEW LEGENDARY STRIKE IS TAKING PLACE, AND THE WAR SHALL SOON BE RESUMED. OF COURSE, YOU WOULD KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THAT SEEING AS YOU GAVE UP YOUR AUTHORITY AS A LEGEND. YOU WERE LUCKY NOT BE CLASSIFIED AS A FALSE LEGEND!!!" Groudon responded.
"Never talk about my position as a legend! So many Pokemon these days dream to be one of you, but they have yet to know what the true horrors are of becoming what they so loosely clarify as 'Legendary'. But enough of this, it's time to finish what Kyogre couldn't!" Regigigas shouted as it charged at Groudon.
"A REGULAR LIKE YOU CAN NEVER DEFEAT A LEGEND!!!" Groudon roared, also charging.
The two Pokemon locked hands as they clashed. Noticing that their power was equal, the two pushed off each other.
"TAKE THIS!!!" Groudon shouted before opening his mouth wide. He jerked his head up and upon dropping it back down, released a star-shaped blast of fire. In response, Regigigas raised a clenched fist high in the air. With one swift swoop, he punched the burning star right on the center, causing it to dissolve into the air.
"Now who's pathetic?" Regigigas joked as it began another charged for Groudon. When it closed in on its opponent, the colossal Pokemon reveled two clenched fist; one surrounded in flames, while the other was surrounded in electricity that was wildly jumping around.
Regigigas smashed Groudon's cheek with a blazing jab.
"One punch..." it whispered.
Then it bashed the beast in the chin with an electric uppercut. The attack managed to lift Groudon a few feet above the ground.
"Two punches..." it added.
Finally, Regigigas clamped its hands together and surrounded them in an icy wind. As if it was swinging an imaginary bat, Regigigas slammed its hands into Groudon's belly, sending him crashing into his own volcano.
"Three punches... and you're out!"
Groudon's body lay helplessly against the volcano as lava riding down the side began to swallow him...
*** Back to Sapphire and friends ***
We soared high above the burning kingdom as our flock of Fearow stayed together in a tight group. This way, we could communicate without shouting. I had the Fearow I was using to let me sit on his back until it was time to fly away.
"Why does this always happen to us?" Silk said softly, tears running across her red cheeks.
"We tried to help Silk, we were just too late." I responded, hoping it would make her feel better. I wanted to give her a big hug, but that was impossible at the moment for multiple reasons.
"Let's just be happy that we made it out alive." Zeke said, joining the conversation. That probably wasn't the smartest thing to say, but no one had the energy to argue.
"Hey guys! What's that over there!?" Abby shouted, squinting hard at the volcano. We all turned around to see a beast even larger than Groudon, slowly approaching the village. It was hard to tell, but the Pokemon seemed to have sad expression.
"Regigigas has returned!" Crystal shouted, trying to get a better look while also keeping her balance.
"Regigigas?" all of Team Blaze asked. It always amazed me how nothing caught Neos or his teammates by surprise.
"The true leader of Team Regi and the Pokemon credited for creating the Battle Terrain." Amy answered for her cousin.
I began to appreciate the fact that we didn't last long against Team Regi.
Then, the unexpected happened. Or in our case, what usually happens, happened... Ungodly bad luck. As Regigigas stood inches away from the kingdom gates, the soil below it started shaking. I could've sworn it skin went even paler, as if it knew what was to come next. Suddenly, a large ripple appeared across the entire kingdom.
CRACK!!!
The ground beneath it and the kingdom gave away, revealing a sea of lava. With no time to react, Regigigas fell into the dark fissure.
Bloop...
The sound of a rock falling into an ocean filled the silent air as the large Pokemon sunk in the sea of lava. Within seconds, Evolution Kingdom, and other Pokemon nearby, followed by also falling down the fissure.
SPLASH!!!
Lava burst out of the fissure from the kingdom impacting with the red sea. Words could not begin to contemplate the emotions we were feeling. If there was a word that described hate, anger, sorrow, and regret, it wouldn't even scratch the surface...
"NO REGIGIGAS, YOU'RE OUT!!!" roared a voice from atop the hill. We forced a turn, as we didn't want to look away from the kingdom, and saw Groudon dripping with lava. His hand was hidden deep underground and a small crack started from the hole it made. I traced the crack all the way back to the large fissure and discovered that he created the entire disaster.
"Hey Pupitar! I think it's time we get out of here!" the Fearow below me said. Reluctantly, I agreed. Using my levitating abilities, I jumped off the side of the Fearow and slowly descended until he caught me with his claws. Soon enough, the others tore their eyes away from the land the Groudon had just conquered. After a few seconds of flying, everyone joined in a small group again, away from the island.
"So where is everyone headed?" Crystal asked, trying to sound happy. She failed horribly.
"I really don't know." I admitted after a few seconds of thinking.
"Hey, do you know your way to Grace town?" Zeke asked his Fearow. She nodded in approval.
"Well, then it seems we're finally heading home." Seth said with a smirk.
"I think I'll go with you guys. Seeing as my village is on the same island. Abby, Daren... I'd be honored if you'd join me." Neos said, facing his teammates. They seemed to be at a loss of words and simply nodded a "yes, we'd love too".
"What about you guys?" I asked, looking at Amy, Root, and Crystal.
"Us? Well, there's a kingdom that we've visited a few times that isn't too far from here. We'll explain the circumstances and I'm almost positive they'll take us in." Root answered.
With one final good-bye, we signaled our Fearow's to our destination.
"On to Grace Town... I'm comin' home dad." I heard Zeke say as we flew off to a now visible sun...
*** End of chapter 14 ***
Sorry for all the caps in this chapter. I'll change it if it annoys anyone.
Spoiler:
Attacks used in the chapter (not in the order they were used): Icebeam (Ice), Iron Head (Steel), Zap Cannon (Steel), Thunderpunch (Regigigas), Firepunch (Regigigas), Icepunch (Regigigas), Megapunch (Regigigas), Solarbeam (Groudon), Slash (Groudon), Fire Blast (Groudon), Earthquake (Groudon), Fissure (Groudon)
After a long flight, the Fearows slowed down and the one I was using allowed me to ride on his back. We hovered over a particularly small island, compared to the one that harbored Evolution Kingdom. A thick forest covered most of the island, except for the small beaches.
"Prepare for landing!" the Fearows shouted as they slowly lowered onto the island.
"What? This isn't Serene Island! Why are you landing?" Seth argued. Serene Island must be the island that Grace resides on.
"We know that, but we're tired. We will rest here and continue our flight tomorrow." one of the Fearows replied as we landed on a beach. It looked like any other beach; the clear water brushed back and forth against the sparkling sand.
As everyone dismounted the birds, we sat in a circle in the middle of the beach as the Fearows relaxed their wings elsewhere.
"Hey Zeke, can I talk to you in private?" I asked as I levitated away from the small gathering.
"Yeah, sure." Zeke replied, getting up from his spot and following close behind me. We silently walked near a collection of trees before I decided we were far enough so no one could eavesdrop.
"I can't wait 'til we get home tomorrow." I finally said.
"Me too! My dad's gonna freak that we went on a mission without his permission, but he'll be ecstatic when he sees I've evolved into a Quilava."
"And also, we can check out that stone in the middle of the village."
"Yup, and get rid of it! I'm not letting anything happen to Grace town!" Zeke shouted with a grin.
"Zeke... there are probably more stones out there. Including the one in the Sacred Forest."
"So? What are you getting at, Sapphire?" Zeke's expression quickly went grim.
"I'm perhaps the only Pokemon who can read the stuff written on the stones. A lot of Pokemon are in danger of something they don't even know is coming-."
"Just stop there!" he screamed. I quickly looked back to see if anyone heard him, "Look, all I know is that I'm going home, and I'm gonna spend my days hanging out with my dad, not giving a damn about stuff that doesn't concern me." I never heard Zeke so serious. Another one of those moments when I wanted to slap him silly.
"Zeke, it's our duty as a rescue team to help others. Warning Pokemon about these 'Legendary Strikes' can save the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands!"
"The only Pokemon I'm worried about saving are the ones from my village!"
"I've never heard anything so selfish!" I yelled before storming off in some other direction. I heard Zeke mutter something before he too ran off.
**********
"Stupid Zeke. I hope he falls off the Fearow tomorrow..." I muttered to myself. I was resting on the opposite end of the beach, far from the others.
"Mind if we join you?" whispered a voice from behind me. I got up and turned around and saw the rest of Team Blaze staring at me, including Zeke. I could tell from his face expression that he still wasn't over our little discussion.
"Sure, whatever." I said, glaring at Zeke.
"Look Sapphy, we talked to Zeke and know what you guys were arguing about-."
"Snitch!" I shouted, interrupting Silk.
"Stop it you two!" Seth shouted before Zeke could make a comeback, "Now, as Silk was saying, we were discussing the fact that there are other stones out there. Both I and Silk have agreed to travel with you to the Sacred Forest and after that, we will part our ways. Zeke, however, is determined to stay at Grace Town. Is that okay with you?"
"I appreciate you guys coming with me, but where are you going after we're finished?"
"Well Seth will go back to Grace town and I'll continue my journey to travel the world. What will you do?" Silk answered.
"I guess I'll see if there's any way I can get back to the human world. I probably have family and stuff back there..."
"Well then everything is settled! Team Blaze is going home!" Zeke finally said. After that, the guys walked back their original spots and I stayed on the coastline.
***** Later that night *****
"Hey Sapphire..." said a voice walking toward me. I turned around and saw Zeke smiling.
"Do you want something?" I asked rudely. I still was a little angry from earlier.
"I'm sorry, okay? I guess I got a little carried away before. I just really miss my dad and the village..."
After a long silence, I finally said, "Yeah, I understand how you feel. Apology accepted." Truth is I didn't mean a word I said.
Afterward, Zeke sat down next to me and we stayed silent for the most of the night.
"Hey Zeke, you awake?" I whispered.
"Yeah, why?"
"I was just wondering if you could tell me more about this world. The only things I know about are Pokemon, and I'm still learning new stuff in that subject."
"Well I guess I can," he started, "on the planet of Aires, there are four continents and many small islands. Serene Island is closest to Continent Four. Each continent is inhabited by different species of Pokemon for landscape and other reasons."
"Have you ever visited Continent Four, or any of the other continents?"
"Nope. There's a little conflict going on between Continent Four and Continent Three. Continents One and Two are too far for me to visit."
"If Four is at war, how come Serene Island hasn't been attacked or anything?" I asked, a tad surprised.
"They're not really at war. It's just that Four and Three have a little trouble getting along. I'm sure they'll sort it out." Zeke yawned.
"Okay I understand now. Let's get some sleep now. We've got a big day ahead of us!"
Without a response, Zeke simply laid his head down onto the soft sand and drifted into a much need slumber.
***** The next day *****
"WAKE UP, SLEEPY HEADS!!!" Silk shouted in Zeke's ear.
"Huh? What's going on?" said a half-awake Zeke.
"You two overslept and the Fearows are ready to go. We would've woken you up but you looked so adorable together!" Silk giggled. Thank goodness for my armor-like skin, 'cause I was knew I was blushing under it.
"Oh shut up Silk!" Zeke snapped as he ran next to her and let his flames shoot up.
"Take it easy guys. Let's go over to the Fearows and get our butts home!" Seth proposed while gracefully walking over to the Fearows.
The Fearows lined up like fighter jets as they stood tall with their feathers brushing in the morning wind and their claws clamped down on the sand. As we trudged over to the perched birds, I noticed that Neos and his teammates were already atop their carriers.
"I can't wait to meet your villagers." Abby chuckled and Daren nodded in agreement.
"I just hope they made it to a safe area and are settled down." he answered.
Everyone boarded their Fearows, including myself. Usually I'd be carried, but the Fearows proclaimed that Grace wasn't far. Within minutes, we were able to take flight for Grace.
"Where are you guys headed after you drop us off?" I asked the Fearows.
"We're gonna go to the Kingdom Amy mentioned. We are bound by our loyalty to Prince Root and Princess Crystal."
Everything was pretty quiet after that. Everyone was anticipating our return home and didn't want to ruin it by having an unexpected argument. Then finally, we approached a moderately sized island...
"I can't believe it... WE'RE FINALLY HOME!!!" Zeke bellowed, almost falling off of his Fearow. I giggled a little after remembering what I had wished the day before.
"Attention passengers! I am proud to announce that we have arrived at Grace-." the Fearow abruptly stopped as he caught sight of a nearby village. An intense inferno forced itself throughout the area, burning close by trees and forests. A black cloud gradually formulated above and around the village, giving us almost zero visibility. The Fearows swooped in low for a better view, but as we soared through the village, no signs of life were shown. Everything burned ferociously with no end it sight, making it impossible to recognize our surroundings. All was quiet when we finally arrived at what seemed to be the end of the town. Everyone slowly descended from their Fearows, wary of the raging fire. Zeke and I rushed over to a nearby sign that seemed to somewhat survive the fire.
After a few seconds of squinting, Zeke finally read out load in a grim tone, "Welcome to Grace Town, where adventures begin..."
We stared at the torched sign for what felt like an eternity, unsure of what to make of it.
"So this is Grace? From the way you guys described it, I thought it'd be more presentable." Silk whispered. Although her intentions were probably good, her comment was probably the worst thing to say at the moment.
"Silk!" I shouted moving toward her, ready to give her a good beat down.
"No Sapphire, its okay..." Zeke muttered grimly. One glance revealed streams of tears escaping from his eyes. Real men weren't afraid to cry and from the way Zeke was weeping, he couldn't get any realer.
"There may be survivors. I think we should check out the rest of the town." I suggested. I figured right now wasn't the best time to fight. Even after my suggestion, we all just stood there. I don't know about the others, but the reason I didn't move was because I was afraid. Afraid that there actually were no survivors.
"How did this happen?" Abby finally asked. I can't say that I too wasn't curious.
"Wild guess here, but I think he's our culprit!" Daren answered with his webbed fingers pointing upwards. You'd think it was a horror scene as everyone slowly turned their heads upwards with our eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
Flying smoothly through the clouds was an emerald coated dragon. Like both Groudon and Kyogre, its body was covered in weird patterns. As it moved in front of the sun, its deep green scales reflected the bright light. Through instinct, I began rubbing my eyes from the blinding sight. However, when I regained my vision, the dragon was gone.
"Rayquaza..." Neos began, "the guardian of the skies. Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"
Without hesitation, I answered, "A Legendary Strike..." That damned word meant trouble whenever it was mentioned.
"Come on guys, let's check out the town." Seth said calmly, walking forward. I levitated over to him to scold at him for trying to act cool, but saw something totally unexpected. Like Zeke, his cheeks were flooded with rivers of tears. Then I remembered that he also came from Grace. His family lives... lived there.
"I hope you guys find what you're looking for." Neos said.
"What? Aren't you coming with us!?" I snapped.
"Sorry but no. I must know if the same fate has befallen my people. I hope you understand." Without even a proper 'good-bye', Neos gestured to his teammates and they walked away from the village.
"Hey Sapphy, you comin'?" Silk shouted. It turned out the others had already entered the village.
I hurried to catch up with the group. We slowly moved through the town. Every house, tree, Pokemon... burned to a crisp. I didn't know any of these Pokemon and yet, I couldn't help but shed tears for them. Even though I spent only one day in Grace Town, it was where our journey began. It was like my home.
We spent more time dodging wild flames than searching for survivors. Eventually, we reached the center of town but didn't see any signs of life. I lost track of our objective when I caught sight of the obsidian stone. Wherever one of those things were, hell was sure to follow. Out of curiosity, I moved closer to the stone, only to learn that the text was damaged to the point of illegibility.
"If our search continues on like this, we'll be here for hours. We must split up." Seth proposed, "I'll keep going forward on my own. Silk, you go back in the direction we just came and try to do a more thorough search. Sapphire and Zeke, you two go... in some other direction!" Without even giving us time to react, he ran away.
"That's the direction of his house." Zeke said, probably expecting me to make a smart remark. He knew me too well.
"Then maybe it's best he is alone. Let's meet back here later." Silk said before following her own orders.
Without a word, Zeke began to run in his own direction. I think he should've kept the emo look, it fit him well. Uncertain of what to do, I decided to follow after Zeke as I was pretty sure where he was headed. My prediction was clearly correct when we sped past the empty lot where I had my first battle. No matter how weak I was back then, I'd relive that moment a countless amount of times.
With an abrupt stop, we were stationed at the entrance of a badly burned hut. I literally had to force the joyous flashbacks back into my head. With simply nods between the two of us, Zeke pushed the fragile door opened and just like my heart, it crumbled to pieces. Curled into a corner of the hut, an average sized Pokemon laid motionless on the floor. Its back was burned to a charcoal black but its cream-colored belly remained untouched. Then suddenly, with all the energy the Pokemon had left, it managed to open one eye half-way.
"They told me... that you left... for a mission." the Pokemon mumbled, its voice cracking with pain.
"Dad!" Zeke cried as he ran to his father's side, "I'm so sorry for leaving without your permission. I should have been here with you..." Both Zeke and I were bawling from that point. Here lied the man who saved my life from a raging river, and he was dying with no way for me to save him.
"At first, I was furious... but when that monster came and started torching everything... I said to myself, 'somewhere out there... my son is living his dream of being a rescue team leader.' Now you have returned, and as a Quilava." A slight grin appeared on his burned lips.
"You need to stop talking! You're badly hurt and should get some rest." I suggested, moving closer. It amazed me this man was risking his life, just to get a few words across to his son. Of course, I could never know the feeling, as I had no family.
"Sapphire, is that you? Evolution must been the new trend with kids these days... I hope you've been taking care of Zeke." the Typhlosion joked.
"Dad, listen to Sapphire. We have to get you to a safe-."
"Oh stop it!... My time is up son, there's no denying that. But before I pass, I want you to have something..." He uncurled his body to reveal a red badge with a golden star in the middle. Unlike everything else in the hut, the badge was in perfect condition.
"My old rescue badge... I protected it with my life...Congratulations son; you've made me proud..." he whispered before kicking the badge at us. With a forced smile, his eyes slowly began to roll to the back of his head and he dropped to the floor.
Holding his tears back, Zeke picked up the badge and tagged the sticky side on his belly. He slowly turned toward me and we stared into each others eyes. His normally red eyes were now a ghastly gray and heavy with sadness and hatred.
"Zeke? Sapphy? Where are you guys?" shouted a voice not to far from the hut. Breaking our gaze, me and Zeke quickly exited the hut and noticed both Silk and Seth looking around for us. Around Seth's neck were small, black stone strung together by a string. His face expression showed that he had reclaimed his cool.
"Hey Seth, where'd you get that necklace?" I asked, walking over to him.
"I found it... wrapped around my father's lifeless neck. This is all I have to remember him by." I suddenly felt really stupid asking that question.
"So did you guys find any survivors?' Silk inquired.
"Well, actually-."
"No, everyone was dead..." Zeke said, interrupting me. "Let's be on our way now."
"On our way? Where do you plan on going?" I was puzzled. Only yesterday we had decided on our future plans.
"Have you forgotten the stone in the Sacred Forest? As a rescue team, we still have a job to do." Zeke answered before walking toward the town exit. If memory serves me, he was against going to the Sacred Forest just a day ago. He must've realized that any town can turn out like Grace.
As we walked through Grace, any remaining fires simmered down and eventually died out. Nonetheless, Grace Town was now just a black mark on Serene Island. As we exited the village, we savored one last look, and began our long trip to the Sacred Forest.
***** A Few Hours Later *****
For the first time, I didn't miss my feet at all as it took much less energy to float than to walk. My teammates on the other hand were drenched in sweat as they had to work twice as hard while walking uphill.
"We got past this hill once and we'll do it again!" Zeke encouraged as he increased in speed. Seth and Silk followed his example and they too rushed up the hill. I must admit, it was nice to see everyone with a smile on their face after what had just happened. Then, out of nowhere, the hill just seemed to end. However, atop the hill stood a mountain of multi-colored rocks that stood at least twenty feet tall.
"I'm beginning to regret knocking down Mt. Steel." I joked as we approached the pileup.
"There's no way we can walk around this thing. We should climb up and walk across it." Seth advised. After an exchange of nods and smiles, we began the hike. Well, I just levitated every few feet. I had yet to figure out what makes me float, and I really didn't care, as long as I didn't drop.
After bruising themselves all over from some jagged rocks, the others reached the top of the mound. Their battered body lay limp on the rocks while their hearts pounded hard against their chest. Was the climb really that hard? I was staring at Zeke's chest in particular as his new badge sparkled in the sunlight. The bright object made me feel warm inside, as if it was the answer to all our troubles. I wonder if I felt emotions like this while I was human. I shot a quick glance at the sun and saw that it was setting rather early today. The bright orb threw orange and red rays all across the land as it sunk below the landscape. It was truly a beautiful sight.
By now the others had regained their strength but they still were hurting all over. Zeke and Silk were moaning in agony while Seth was busy acting like nothing happened. It was good to have everyone back to normal. The moonless sky was peaceful as the endless amount of stars illuminated the entire area. This time it was Seth's necklace that was shining from the light source. Like the badge, it made me feel secure and certain that nothing could go wrong. And as usual, I was wrong.
***** 15 Minutes Later *****
A low rumbled filled my eardrums as I lay serenely on the bedrock. I dismissed all bad thoughts until I saw a group of Murkrow and Honchkrow fly off into the distance, obviously afraid of something. By now, I was certain that when a flock of birds appeared, some big was either happening or about to happen. Suddenly, another quake began and this one was more intense. I "sat" upright and scanned our surroundings to see what was going on. However, all I saw was Zeke and Seth, both sleeping gracefully. How anyone could sleep through a quake like that, I may never know. What a minute. Where was Silk?
"Where are you Silk?" I said in a low tone. Zeke and Seth had been through a lot earlier and I didn't want to wake them. I walked over to the two, who happened to be sleeping right next to each other. The sight of two childhood friends getting through recent hardships together almost made me forgot about Silk.
"Are you there Silk?" I shouted that time. I figured if the ground shaking couldn't wake the too, my screams would be left unheard. I paced across the rocky layer searching for the yellow mouse but she was no where in sight. I was ready to look over the edge until another quake hit, this one stronger than the other two. Although the shaking subsided quickly, a small section of rocks in the middle of the pileup. From closer inspection I saw that Silk was standing atop those rocks, completely unfazed by the rumbling as she stared into a starlit sky.
"Silk! Get away from there!" I screamed, hoping to break her focus. Unfortunately, I was too late...
The rocks below her gave way and she began to plummet to a rocky grave. Then suddenly, I heard a loud SMACK and Silk's pummeled body flew out of the hole. She bounced off of a few rocks before landing only inches away from the edge behind me. Emerging from the newly made hole was a large, snake-like Pokemon. Its silver silvers scales made disturbing noises while scratching across the rocks as the Pokemon approached us with at an extremely slow speed. I soon realized that it was the Pokemon that had obliterated Mt. Steel on that fateful day.
"Wake up guys! Silk's hurt and some large Pokemon is head our way!"
"Five more minutes dad..." Zeke mumbled a reply. Was I really going to interrupt such a peaceful dream?..... YOU DARN SKIPPY I WAS!
"WAKE UP YOU WORTHLESS LOSERS! WE'RE GONNA DIE HERE!!!" I screamed right in Zeke's ear. He squirmed a little and finally opened his eyes.
"Get some sleep Sapphire. We've all had a rough-." he immediately stopped when he noticed the monstrosity that was headed out way. "Damnit... we never get a break."
"You got that right. I'll go get Silk and you wake up Seth!" I hurried over to Silk's bruised body that actually seemed to be conscious. I was going to ask her what she was doing out there but figured it was best she didn't talk. After getting her onto my back, I rushed back over to Seth and Zeke.
Without wasting anytime by talking our plans out, we started to run across the stony pileup, hoping the Steelix would continue to just go forward. Everything was going according to plan until the Steelix decided to stop just before he was about fall over the ledge. Like a burrowing snake, Steelix dug straight into the rocks. I wonder if life-threatening moments took place all over the Pokemon world.
When we reached the edge of the bedrock, we decided to start running forward instead of hopping down and running on the ground. It was a decision we were soon to regret. We had made it almost half way across the mountain of rocks when the rocks below us started shaking. We simply traded nods with each other and picked up speed. Soon enough, we were going at twice our normal pace. The shaking began to intensify and I had an idea of what was causing it. Sure enough, from the rocks shot out a furious Steelix, its fang exposed and dripping with saliva. I can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure metallic objects in the human world don't salivate. Fortunately, by the time Steelix revealed itself, we had already run off the edge of the pileup. Oh what joy!
We actually had to force ourselves to smack across some rocks to slow down our descent before we hit the ground. Seeing as were still in Steelix's attack range, we wasted no time recovering and darted as far as possible from Mt. Steel. We had spent most of the night running for our dear lives until a large collection of trees came into sight. We decided that then was a good time to rest...
***** The Next Morning *****
"Wake up Sapphy! Zeke says it's time to enter the Sacred Forest!" I slowly opened my eyes to see a smiling Silk. Her body was still covered in bruises but it didn't seem to affect her perky personality.
"It's good to see you're okay. Mind telling me what you were doing all the way out there all alone?"
"I was thinking about my family... Everyone else on the team is a loner, which in turn, binds you all closer. My pain doesn't come close to you guys', but I miss my family too." I don't know why but that didn't sound right coming from Silk. But at the same time, I knew she meant every word.
I watched the sun rise above oversized the trees of the Sacred Forest, drowning the entire area in an orange light before stopping in a cloudless sky.
"Okay guys, let's go. It only took one day for Groudon's strike to become Rayquaza's." Seth stated before walking toward the forest. Knowing he was correct, we followed close behind him. In time, we reached the forest. It looked no different from before as the tightly packed tree towered way above us. The team's been pretty silent since Grace Town and this time was no different. Without any discussion we entered the Sacred Forest and prepared for an EXTREMELY long walk.
**********
"I'm SOOO hungry. Can we make a pit stop guys?" Silk whined as she held her grumbling stomach.
"There are berries all around us. Just pick one!" Seth retorted.
"But these are all sweet berries. I like the spicy kind!" Spicy berries? I wasn't sure if that was entirely safe.
Silk's whining continued for some time until we caught sight of a bright light. Amazingly, we were able to reach the large clearing from the last time we were here. With grins spread across all faces, we used whatever energy we had left and burst into the clearing. However, our happiness was short-lived when we caught sight of three, large dragonflies buzzing around the center of the clearing. Their green bodies immediately turned toward us. Small smirks occupied their faces as if their blood red eyes could see our fear.
"Well, well, well... what do we have here? A few lost Pokemon?" the middle Yanmega said.
"Look, we don't want any trouble. We just came here to rest." Seth replied stepping forward.
"Well too bad! Ever since those Beedrill disappeared, this clearing has been our turf!"
Seth took some time to reply, knowing that it was he who decided to fight the Beedrill so long ago. Finally he said, "We'll force you out of here if we have to." That was probably the stupidest thing he could say at the moment, seeing as none of us were in any condition to fight.
"Hehe," the Yanmega began to chuckle, "you talk big for some bruised up little punk. We'll make you regret those words."
The Yanmega jerked toward one of his friends who then charged at us. Its wings flapped at an immense speed, drowning the clearing in a low buzzing noise. Soon enough, the sound became unbearable and Seth stuck his head between his two front legs. Seeing its chance, the Yanmega slashed Seth's back with its sharp, black claws. Seth screamed in anguish as small trickles of blood ran down his back.
Seeing my friend bleeding almost made me lose it right then and there. However, I held my anger inside so I wouldn't unnecessarily waste energy. Seth slowly lifted his head and saw the Yanmega laughing uncontrollably as it hovered over him. Ignoring the stifling pain from his back, Seth shot his body upwards and struck the Yanmega in his abdomen.
Not wanting to let Seth have all the glory, Zeke ran to his friend's side and let his flames rise.
"It looks like you're the one who's gonna regret their words!" Zeke teased. Wasting no time, he let the flames burst from his mouth and strike the unbalanced Yanmega. Because its wings were flapping so rapidly, the fire quickly spread around the dragonfly's body. Within seconds, the bug dropped to the ground, its body burned a charcoal black.
"Brother! You'll pay for that you little weasel!" the head Yanmega threatened before flying high in the sky. Like the Yanmega before him, he made those weird buzzing noises with his wings. However, he didn't seem to be trying to annoy us. In fact, it seemed like he was signaling someone. Suddenly, dozens of Yanmega flew up from various trees, all with irritated looks on their faces. They all centered on the clearing, filling our heads with that annoying buzzing sound.
"Okay guys, follow me. I'm sure none of us have any intention to find out what those freaks are planning." Seth instructed as he stretched his back. Letting out a deep sigh, he led us across the clearing and into the trees. We heard the buzzing noise get louder and louder and I immediately knew the Yanmega were on our tails. As we tried to increase our speed, we soon discovered that we had nothing left to give. We had been running all night and walking all day. In truth, we had brought this upon ourselves. Then, for some reason, the buzzing got quieter until it finally stopped. Coming to the conclusion that there was no longer any need to run, we stopped as well.
"What was that about?" Silk mumbled as she panted hard.
"I don't know but I'm not complaining. Now we have time to rest." I replied gasping for air.
"Okay, we can rest for thirty minutes." Seth instructed as he lay down on his stomach, keeping wary not to roll over on his damaged back.
"Why only thirty minutes? I don't know about you but me and Sapphy here are tired!"
"We're resting for thirty minutes because we're already here." Seth pointed one of his paws at a small clearing between some trees that I didn't notice earlier. In the middle of the clearing stood a large obsidian stone with strange symbols scribbled all over it. So close to our destination and my heart was pumping in anticipation.
***** About 30 Minutes Later *****
"Time's up!" Seth shouted with a raspy voice. It was obvious he wasn't fully healed. However, we all stood up without argue.
"I wonder what the stone says this time." Silk inquired as we approached the clearing. After brushing some bushes aside and squeezing between tightly pack trees, we stood only feet away from the stone.
"It seems someone hasn't learned from past mistakes." stated a feminine voice from behind the boulder. The gracefulness of the voice gave me and idea of who it was and my suspicions were proven correct when a cobalt beast jumped from behind the rock, its amethyst mane brushing smoothly against the wind. I wish my human form was as extravagant as Suicune's stature. Seth slowly walked forward. Oh no, he was gonna start a fight...
"Suicune, why are you protecting this stone anyway?" he asked.
"Why are you so curious, young Umbreon? Need I remind what happened last time you 'wandered'?" she retorted. I was beginning to think Seth had a death wish.
"My curious is filled with good intentions. We merely wish to look at the stone."
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions..." she said a low grumble. "The text written on this particular stone reveals too much for you 'regulars' to handle. If you turn around and leave now, I just may give you a head start."
"Oh, Suicune! Must you always be so uptight?" questioned a masculine voice from the woods. From between two trees emerged an auburn brute with pure, white hair flowing behind its masked face. As it strolled by, the trees immediately burst into scarlet flames and in seconds, were reduced to cinders. This scene was beginning to look all too familiar.
"Entei, maybe you are just too modest. You know we're not allowed to let anyone near the stone!" Not allowed? To think these guys were just pawns to someone more powerful was just too much to bear.
Entei simply shot a serious look at Suicune and she bowed her head low, trying to escape his gaze. Seeing two legendaries have a "brother/sister" moment seemed to ease the tension a little.
"Leave this place at once, and don't even think of returning!" Entei ordered.
Me and Silk were getting ready to make a run for it when Zeke stepped up and shouted, "No! We came here to see that stone and that's what we're gonna do!" Gosh! Why were boys so stupid? And why, now of all times, was Zeke acting confident?
"We gave them a chance and they blew it brother. Now I will make sure they pay."
"We can at least wait for Raikou..."
"No, we fight now!" Zeke barked, "We're ready for what ever you got."
"Stop acting stupid Zeke! Do you remember what happened to us last-."
"Yeah, I remember." Zeke said in a calm tone, interrupting me. "But I noticed that Pokemon die every time we run from the legends. We're continuing this journey to stop the legendary strikes, but how can we do that without stopping the legends. It time we show them we're more than just regulars." I couldn't believe Zeke was saying that. He was one hundred percent serious about fighting these guys.
"I'm with you Zeke." Seth said with a smirk. I thought Seth was the logical one. Now he wanted to fight a senseless fight?
"You'll need me for this one!" Silk exclaimed, running up to Seth and jumping on his back. I saw him shake in pain then quickly regain his poise. Now Silk too was encouraged to participate in this fray as well? Well, when in Rome...
I rushed over to my friends and in a confident tone, shouted, "Okay guys, time to kick some legendary butt!"
Cliffhanger! No...I want to see what'll happen next! Now the fight is more personal, striking Zeke's and Sapphire's "home" town.
You nearly had me crying on the part where Zeke's father died. You did a good job with the emotions on that part.
I also laughed at the "My spleen!" line when the team was getting beaten by Team Regi. Nothing is funnier than a "My spleen!" line. XD
Sorry it took me so long to review. I've been busy with finals for school and work. But now that vacation is starting for me, I can devote more time to reading fanfiction...
As I stared at our opponents, I realized how stupid we were to challenge these guys. Suicune herself was almost twice Seth's size and she stood on all fours. You could hear slight growls and snarls escaping her mouth but Entei seemed to stay calm behind his mask.
"Stay sharp Sapphire! Now's not the time for doubts!" Seth encouraged. He didn't even have to look at me to know how I was feeling.
Without the smallest hint of mercy in her eyes, Suicune leapt high the air with legs spread wide apart and her purple hair flowing behind her. Before we knew it, she was directly behind us with her mouth open wide. Expecting what was to come next, everyone ran in a different direction as we narrowly dodged a blast of fast-moving bubbles. I ran straight for the black boulder hoping to get a quickly glance it. I was only feet away from it when Entei smashed into me, causing me to crash into a tree at the other end of the clearing.
On the other side, I saw Seth and Zeke double teaming Suicune. Seth was shooting dark rings out of his mouth while Zeke shot small flames. However, Suicune's nimble body dodged every onslaught with ease. With a bored look on her face, Suicune went on the offensive and glared at the two best friends. Bursting from her mouth was a rainbow-colored beam that seemed to mesmerize me with its colors. Seth managed to dodge the attack but Zeke was hit dead on, skidding him across the soil and smashing into a tree.
Suicune smirked as she watched a battered Zeke sliding down the bark of a tree. Then, out of nowhere, a bolt of electricity struck the back of the azure beast, causing her to wince a little. Just a little. She simply shrugged of the sparks and traced the attack to a quivering Silk standing behind her. Breaking their gaze, Silk tried to make a run for it but as she ran by, Suicune crunched her teeth on the little mouse's tail and tossed her over by Zeke. Ouch, I know that hurt...
"We're getting creamed..." Seth said, or at least I think he did. He was panting hard from dodging small fireballs from Entei. From the expression on his face, I could immediately tell that Entei was just toying with his opponent. Also getting bored with the fight, Entei stopped chasing Seth and closed his mouth. Seth took this time to run over to me and help me up.
"Sapphire, you're the only one who can save us." Seth whispered. I simply stared at him and blinked rapidly. I suspected he got hit on the head or something.
"What the hell are you talking about? Did you not see me get slammed into the tree?"
"No, you idiot!" he began, "the three of us will try to-." Suddenly, Seth bashed his head into me, pushing me back a few feet. I was getting ready to scold him until I saw a large vortex hit the black fox, surrounding him a blazing inferno that had no end in sight. I scanned the clearing for an explanation and all was clear when I saw a grinning Entei, black smoke escaping his nostrils and mouth.
'Damnit... Couldn't he have waited a few seconds so Seth could've told me what he meant?' I thought to myself.
"So, Pupitar, ready to die?" asked a chilling voice from behind me. Suicune's cold breath brushed against my back as she moved closer.
"Wait! Before you strike, can you just tell me one thing?" I didn't want to die wondering about this moment. I noticed Entei took his attention off Seth and started listening closely. As soon as he did this, the vortex of fire surrounding Seth instantly dissipated.
At first, Suicune just stopped walking and laid on her white belly. I knew if I tried to run, she'd pounce right on me. She lifted a big paw and placed it on behind her crystal-like head.
Crack!
Suicune loosened her stiff neck and finally replied, "Make it quick."
"Okay," I began without hesitation, "why is this stone so heavily guarded? I mean, it was pretty easy to get to the other stones."
"The previous stones only depicted events that were bound to happen." Entei answered, "This stone, however, contains information that should never be revealed to you... 'regulars'."
"Well... can you at least tell me what it says? You can leave out the major details."
"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't." Suicune replied this time, "Even legends of our stature don't know what's written on the stone. Our master knows but he just told us to guard the damn thing."
"Wow that must be some stone. So who's your 'master'?" I wanted to keep this conversation going on as long as possible. I had a little plan of my own.
"That is none of your business." Suicune growled.
"Okay, okay... so how does your master know what the stone says?"
"He was there when it was created. Thousands of years ago." Entei said softly. I could tell that if I got to know him, he'd be a gentle man, unlike his over-enthusiastic sister.
"'Kay, got'cha. So who created the-."
"That's enough questions for one lifetime!" Suicune snarled as she got to her feet, "May you find peace in the 'Void', along with all the other weaklings I sent there."
"Whoa, hold your horses. Before you sentence me to a cold and horrible death, I would like to..." I stopped for a second and shot a quick glance over Entei's shoulder.
Then, in a grim tone and a (hidden) smirk spanned across my face, I turned to face Suicune and continued, "I would like to invite you for a face full of Silk!"
All fell silent and Suicune simply blinked at me, as if I had just made a horrible joke. But it was no joke. Almost instantly, a yellow fur ball coated in electricity shot over Entei and smashed directly into Suicune's crystalline structure. A bright, white light flashed before my eyes, followed by a loud explosion. A thick smoke quickly filled the area, and I was able to run past a stunned Entei, who I don't even think noticed me. When everything finally did clear, the body of a paralyzed Suicune appeared, only moving when any remaining jolts shot through her body. Looking down on her was an exhausted Silk.
Falling back into reality, Entei leapt into the air and readied to pounce on the worn out rodent. However, he was interrupted be a combination of black energy rings and small fireballs. Still making a run for the sacred stone, I caught a glimpse of Zeke and Seth charging at the crimson beast. Entei had managed to land on his feet from their attack, but he was far away from his sister and Silk.
Being more than twice the size of both his opponents, Entei tried stomping them out as the two Pokemon tried to attack. One time, he even got Zeke right on the back. Zeke, however, just let his flames rise and severely burned Entei's paw, slowing him down considerably. With their victory in grasping distance, Seth and Zeke renewed the strategy they had used on those Beedrill so long ago. Zeke spewed a smokescreen from his mouth that filled the area just as fast as the explosion did. Like last time, I whipped up another sandstorm to clear the fog around me. Back in the direction of the battle, I heard many smacking noises until the fog finally cleared. Standing beside Zeke was Seth, his rings and black necklace shining intensely. Entei, on the other hand, was struggling just to get to his feet. He was covered in bruises that weren't there before Zeke and Seth's combo.
"It seems toying with you is now out of the question. You guys really mean business." Entei whispered with a grin. Unexpectedly, he released a large beam of fire that hit both Zeke and Seth. The burned body of my two teammates landing only feet behind me and I had just reached the sacred stone. Entei limped toward us, his fangs exposed and his bloodthirsty eyes fixated on us.
Now I was left with a dilemma. I could either go and read stone and run away OR I could save the people who risked their lives for me. Having to make a decision fast, I stared hard at my friends and ran toward the stone. However, I didn't even glance at the writing on the stone. Instead, I smacked my body into the nearby rocks sending them hurling at Entei. Too weak to dodge the attack, Entei took the rocks head on. After the assault was over, he simply shook off the pain and continued toward my unconscious friends. He stopped infront of Zeke and hovered a large paw over the weasel's neck. Ready to stomp out my friend, I shot my body at Entei, knocking him off his feet.
"Back away from my friends!" I ordered.
"You dirty, little regular... I'll make this quick and painless."
"I should be saying that to you." My body was suddenly surrounded in a black aura and black rings were shooting from my forehead.
Entei, who was now at standing on all fours, released a flurry of small flames in response. Our two attacks met only feet from our positions, and we both felt the shock of the impact. When I regained the balance of my levitation, I saw that Entei too had recovered.
"You're not like the other regulars." Entei mumbled. I wasn't sure if that was an insult or complement.
"Well, that's because I'm human." I answered. I then realized maybe it was a bad idea to reveal my identity to someone who was also connected to the stones. I saw Entei's entire body shiver when I said the last word.
Then, a smirk replaced his surprised expression. "You've done the impossible. You've become the only thing I hate more than regulars." With that, he charged at me despite his injuries. I thought I could dodge it but when I tried to move, a sharp pain shot through my body. I thought it was all over when the impossible happened. From his side came a large fireball that exploded on contact. Entei was instantly blown across the clearing. Normally, it would take longer for the smoke to clear but it disappeared quickly as a bright, white light replaced it. When I regained my vision, I was staring at what I thought at first was the ghost of a former friend. Standing at more than five feet tall was a bear-like Pokemon with a cream-colored belly. His neck was surrounded a fiery blaze and just above that was mouth filled with sharp fangs.
"Well Sapphire, what do you think?" The Typhlosion laughed.
"Zeke... your father would be proud." Zeke had just reached the final stage of his evolution. Now a newly evolved Typhlosion, he was resonating with power.
"Hehe, I bet he would. Now you go read that stone. I think I can hold this guy off for a while."
Without arguing, I ran towards the stone. Then it happened. A loud roar filled my ears and sent shivers up my spine. A large, gray cloud covered the sky and thunder crackled in all directions. Lightning bolts struck some nearby trees and incinerated them immediately.
"What's going on here?!" shouted a beastly voice from the direction on the stone. I turned slowly, already knowing what I was about it to see.
My fears were proven correct as I stared into the eyes of large tiger standing beside the stone. Two long fangs were protruding from his masked face, and behind that were purple locks of hair that resembled a cloud. His tail zigzagged like a lightning bolt and was the same color as his hair.
"Why are you idiots fighting?" Raikou shouted as he jumped from his current location and landed next to a paralyzed Suicune. As he approached her, he kicked Silk's motionless body to the side and I almost flipped. He bent his head over his sister's body and touched her with his fang. Suddenly, yellow sparks traveled from Suicune's body and into Raikou's. Slowly but gradually, Suicune opened her eyes and got to her feet.
"Brother... it's about time you got here. Now let's take care of-." Suicune stopped as Raikou let out a deep growl. He seemed somewhat pissed.
"While you idiots were fighting, Master Ho-oh has been on the receiving end of Lugia's attacks." Ho-oh? That must be their master's name.
"You mean-."
"Yeah," Raikou answered Entei before he could even finish, "that big bird rounded up his little elemental pigeons and now there's no one to protect Master Ho-oh. Now come on, we must hurry." Raikou turned around and ran back into the trees, his thunderclouds following his presence. Suicune, who seemed to be at least partially recovered, followed him. Entei's injuries caused him to follow at only half their speed.
I shot a confused look at Zeke and looked at me. My eyes felt heavy and I really wanted to go to sleep, but I knew I had one more duty to fulfill.
"Well, go on Sapphire. Read it out loud while I got help Seth and Silk." Zeke instructed as he ran to aid his friends. I simply smiled at him smiled at him and advanced to the stone. After seeing all the writing, I took a deep breathe and began my translation:
Everything was going perfectly until they arrived. It all started when he was sent over. He looked so much like a Pokemon, but he was one of them. After discovering his origins, we accused him of Legendary Falsification. He was shunned from the world and actually remained quiet. Over the centuries, more False Legends were found, but they too remained unnoticed after their accusations. And that was when they arrived. The humans. They were obscene creatures that scrambled only for power. Because of their resemblance to the original False Legend, they were all classified as False Legends themselves. With their army big enough, the False Legends attacked all who opposed them. Regulars and Legendaries were forced to work together to drive back the army. After the conflict was settled, the Legends argued over who would keep the peace. The Regulars tried to help but anyone who interfered with Legendary matters were wiped off the face of the planet. This immediately caused problems between to the two races.
While this was happening, there was still another problem. Although the army was defeated, more humans were pouring into the realm of Pokemon. At the same time, Pokemon were escaping into the realm of humans. This mix of races could no longer be tolerated. That was when I, Arceus, attempted to find the link between the worlds. Soon enough, I found it and used my power to close it. Although my work was done, I was disgusted with the world and what had become of it. I secluded myself from the world and let the Legends and Regulars handle their problems. Last time I heard from someone, they told me that False Legends had disappeared but left a prophecy. A prophecy stating that one day, a human will come to their realm and resurrect their power. They also said that this prophecy will come to past when the three legendary strikes that had started the war last time were to repeat themselves. So, I warn all my brethren out there, be wary of the humans...
I read the message to myself a few times but still wasn't able to comprehend what I had just read. I didn't want to look at Zeke, afraid of the expression on his face. If what I had just read was true, I was responsible for his father's death...
When I finally built up the courage to look at him, something weird happened. My entire vision become enveloped and a blanket of darkness. I searched around frantically but all I saw was darkness.
It's time you know of your past...
I heard a voice echo in my head but wasn't sure of what it meant until I suddenly appeared in a white room. In the center of the room was a table surrounded by human males in green overcoats. Lying on the table was a human female screaming in pain. One of the males reached inside the woman and pulled out a female baby.
"Congratulations," the man began, "it's a girl."
The woman, breathing intensely managed to reply, "I think... I'll name her... Sapphire..."
***** End of Chap 17 *****
Sorry for the lateness. Computer was screwing with me and when it got fixed, I was missing some files, including a 75% done chapter 17. So yeah, I had to re-write it and I like this version better. Also, I'd like to say that this Fic is separated in Sagas with the first one ending on the NEXT chapter (yeah that's right, Chap 18).
Spoiler:
And the thing about the 'Void' refers to the realm that Giratina rules over. I guess you can consider it as the Pokemon Afterlife as it will be used in later chapters.
Thanks for the PM! I had logged onto here, knowing that I had to read your new chapter 17. It just takes me a while to review.
You and your cliff hangers! At least you know how to keep readers coming back to read the next chapter. That's a good skill to have.
Just so that you know, you still have the same grammar issues that I mentioned in my first review for your fic. That's really the only area where you need to improve.
Other than that, I'll be waiting for your next chapter. Sapphire's history is beginning to be revealed, and I can't wait to read more!
A LOT of dialouge in this chapter. Sorry if it's a bit boring.
Chapter 18: Sapphire's Revelation
Before I could even respond, everything went pitch black again. Was it just a coincidence that I witnessed the birth of a human baby named Sapphire...? Of course not! That baby must've been me! Too bad I didn't get a good look at her.
"Don't fret young one, you'll see her again." a voice echoed in my head. The calm tone of the voice sent shivers up my spine.
"Who said that?" I asked worriedly. No body answered and it started to become apparent that I was alone.
Then, out of no where, the voice spoke again, "It must be heart-shattering to have no memories of your friends... your family... yourself."
"You have no idea," I replied.
"Do you want your memories back? Do you want to know of your past?"
"Yes!" I answered without even thinking.
"I know all about you, Sapphire. I know about your human life AND your Pokemon life. But what fun would it be if I dictated your past? Of course, I could always show it to you..." If I could see the person talking to me, I bet you he was wearing a menacing smirk.
"Oh yeah, how do you plan to do that?" I've been searching for a way to uncover my past all this time and the idea of the answer being in some silly dream was absurd. Of course, the only absurd thing was me thinking this was only a dream.
"I brought you into the Pokemon world, and I can take you out."
My mind was wrapped around the thought that I was brought into the world of Pokemon and not just sent here by accident.
"Who are you anyway—." I was caught off guard by massive headache that seemed to come out of no where. My brain became flooded with images of a young, blue-haired girl with piercing azure eyes. Finally, when the pain was too much to bear, I screamed out in pain.
"PLEASE, MAKE IT STOP!!!"
"Simmer down... the worst is over. If a rush like that doesn't jog your memory, there's only one thing I can do for you. I can take you to 'that' day. Just close your eyes, and relax."
After letting the pain die down, I began to relax and concentrate on the images I just saw. However, I was just drawing blanks as I failed to picture the girl's face again.
"I—I can't do it..." I admitted, my eyes still closed.
"Maybe you just need a little... push."
I didn't have to wonder long about what the voice meant the images slowly came back and I was savored the excruciating headache.
"Now lose yourself in your memories. Relive that fateful day..."
***** Flashback (told in 3rd Person) *****
It was a beautiful day outside. The sun slowly rose over the mountains and drowned the land in dark shade of orange. A rather large village stood out among the others for many reasons, some more important than others. All other villages were situated near a large forest, but this one was on the edge of the island. Although it was isolated, people were bustling around the town like it was a city. The houses in the village were built of brick and sometimes, metal. The large village was divided by a river that ended in a roaring waterfall. Near one end of the village was an average sized house painted red and blue. A window on one side of the building was left wide open and led into a small room. In the room, there was a large cerulean bed with a large bulge under the sheets.
"Time for breakfast sweetie!" yelled a sweet, feminine voice from outside the door.
The bulge under the sheets moved a little but stayed hidden.
"SAPPHIRE, GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE NOW!!!" the same female yelled although it was hard to notice.
Finally, two hands emerged from the sheets and pulled the fabric away. What was revealed was a young lady, most likely in her mid-teens. Her long, blue hair ran down to her shoulder blades while her face was buried in an extra-fluffy pillow. She had almost nothing on except for small, pink top and plaid boxer shorts that barely reached her knees. Slowly, she lifted her head off the pillow, exposing her gorgeous blue eyes.
"Give me a sec to get fixed up, mom!" the girl shouted as she ran over to a nearby door leading to a bathroom.
A few minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom wearing a tight, blue top and blue jeans. The color seemed to dominate her life. Her clothes showed off her nice figure as she posed infront of her mirror.
She suddenly remembered about breakfast and ran down the out of the door and down the stairs, rubbing lotion on her arms at the same time.
"Way to be early, Sapphire. Now sit down and eat your cereal."
"You rushed me down here for some lousy cereal?" Sapphire muttered to herself as she took a seat. In spite of her comment, Sapphire devoured the cereal and rubbed her exposed belly upon finishing.
"Don't you think you should wear a longer, looser shirt?" said the older woman as she took Sapphire's dish to the sink.
"And block the world from my BEAUTY?" Sapphire retorted.
"Don't you have anything better to do than 'groom' yourself all day?"
"Mom, I'm fifteen! If this was any other village on the isle, I would've left five years ago on a—." Sapphire stopped when she saw the expression on her mother's face.
"Sapphire A. Cornelius, you know better not to mention that word in my house, let alone in this village!" Mrs. Cornelius' face turned bright red.
"Word? What word...? Oh, you must mean 'Pokemon'." Sapphire put a large emphasis on the final word. Mrs. Cornelius' face did the impossible by turning even redder.
"Out of the house! NOW! No child of mine shall even mutter that word!" she exploded with fury. Without even arguing, Sapphire got up and left the house. She stepped onto her garden and walked until she reached the river.
"It's not fair," she began to whisper to herself, "all those villages near the forest practically live with Pokemon. They even let little kids way younger than me go out on life changing journeys. But I just had to be born 'here'. I mean, what kind of mayor passes a law that allows the killing of Pokemon that enter the vicinity of the village. And it's all because of this stupid legend that states that there was once a war between Pokemon and humans and that Pokemon aren't really from Earth. Only a village inhabited by idiots like this one could believe such a—."
"Do you always talk to yourself while walking through the village?" a male voice immediately caught Sapphire's attention. Standing infront of her was a blonde haired boy that towered an entire foot over her. She had to bend her head back just too see his big, green eyes. It not that she was short or anything, it's just that the kid was really tall. His short-sleeved shirt was the same color as his eyes and he wore the same jeans as Sapphire (in men's size of course).
"Oh, hey Chris. Were you following me?" Sapphire asked, still walking beside the river.
"People were giving you dirty looks, ya know? Maybe 'cause you mention the You-Know-Whats so loosely." Chris replied without answering her question.
"Huh? Oh you mean Pokemon!" Even more people stared at her this time.
Chris placed his index finger over his mouth and made a 'Shhh' sound. "Where are you headed anyway?"
"I don't know, but I'm definitely not going back to that damn house."
"Not going back home? So what are you gonna do, become a 'Pokemon Master'?" Chris let out a burst of laughter upon finishing his sentence. Sapphire, however, only smiled at the thought.
"Wait a minute," Chris began, "you can't be thinking about 'that'!"
"Well, I wasn't until you put it in my head" Sapphire replied with a smirk. Chris quickly dragged Sapphire away to a secluded spot so no one could hear them.
"If you're not going back home, how are you gonna get extra clothes and stuff?"
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing now!?" Sapphire seemed to take the comment as an insult.
"Okay, just explain to me what you like about those little creatures?"
"What's not to like about them? They're so cute! Well, most of them are... but that's beside the point! They also make good pets and companions."
"So let me get this straight... You're gonna leave the comfort of your home, family and friends just for some creatures that don't even speak English?"
"Yup!" Sapphire answered without even thinking. Chris didn't even give a second glance at the teenager as he turned the other way and left. Sapphire simply shrugged and continued her walk.
**********
Sapphire didn't go back home that day. The sun was slowly setting behind the mountains and Sapphire managed to reach the other side of town. She sat on a bench near the town exit and looked out on the open landscape. There were two security guards at the town gate, each holding a large shotgun. When she was younger, Sapphire saw what havoc the weapons wreaked on wandering Pokemon. There was a separate gate that the river ran through but the bars were built close together so no drowning civilians could slip into the rapids. It was rare to see that gate up. Sapphire lay on the bench and really began thinking about her decisions. Ever since she learned about Pokemon and their so-called 'dark pasts', she had become fascinated by them. But what about her family and friends? What would here mother think of her? Would the town accept her if she decided to return? She pondered these thoughts until falling into a peaceful sleep.
**********
Sapphire rolled over a little too far and fell right off the bench, landing flat on her face. After wiping the dirt off her face and getting to her feet, she examined her surroundings. One guard was asleep on a chair near the gate and the other was no where to be found. Sapphire walked over to the river and was surprised by a run away canoe flowing down the river. What was even more surprising was that the gate was open! Was this some kind of sign? Sapphire knew that the river lead straight to the waterfall which signified the towns boundaries. All she had to do was get out right before the falls and walk down the pass, and she'd be in a whole new world. Filled with joy, Sapphire grabbed the drifting canoe and dragged it over to her. However, she let it go as she was struck by an idea. She quickly sneaked over to the knocked out guard. She scanned his body until she found what she was looking for. Strapped around his belt buckle was a pistol and its holster. Slowly but carefully, she unclipped the weapon and strapped in on herself.
"It's not like I'm gonna use it or anything. Just to scare back any unwanted visitors." Sapphire reassured herself as she caught the canoe just before it left the village.
After getting herself settled into its single seat, she held onto the concrete sidewalk and looked back at the village.
"Don't worry guys. When I return, I'll be a legend and you'll all change your views on Pokemon." she whispered before pushing herself off into the unknown.
**********
Sapphire had been floating with the current for at least twenty minutes when she finally heard the roaring of the falls. The swerved the boat until it was close enough to land and she readied to jump off. Then suddenly, the canoe began picking up speed and turned away from the land.
"Hey! What's the big deal?" Sapphire shouted in frustration as she struggled to keep her balance. The canoe only got faster and faster and Sapphire knew something was wrong. Then the canoe abruptly stopped as it crashed into a large boulder and Sapphire went flying into the river. The teenager couldn't even scream for help as she spent most of her energy just keeping her head above water. The finally, she caught sight of it... The river made a steep curve downward and became a waterfall. Unable to escape her fate, Sapphire dived underwater and tried to grab onto the seafloor. However, her attempts were thwarted when she fell over the waterfall, basically sliding down the mountain. Incased in fear, Sapphire prepared for the worse be shutting her eyes...
... Only to open them about five seconds later. Frightened that she had lost her legs in the fall or something, Sapphire forced her eyes open, only to discover she was in some cave hidden behind the waterfall.
"Wow, talk about luck. But how the hell do I get out of here?" Sapphire asked herself as she struggled to her feet. She limped deeper into the cave trying to find a way out, but all she found was a dead end with weird writing on it. She tried to interpret what it said but failed to make sense of it.
"Do you want to understand the text?" said a mysterious voice. Sapphire looked around the cave but couldn't find the source of the voice.
"Uhh... I guess so." she finally answered.
"Do you love Pokemon?"
"Huh?" Sapphire knew what the voice asked but was taken back by the question
"Do you love Pokemon?"
"Yeah... yeah, more than anything!" Sapphire answered enthusiastically.
"Then prove it..." Sapphire's grin faded as she wondered what the voice meant. Then suddenly, a large bear-like Pokemon seemed to appear out of no where. There was a large, yellow circle on its stomach and it was snarling like a rabid animal. Without any regard for the girl's life, the Ursaring charged at Sapphire, its fangs and claws extended long. Almost scared out of her mind, Sapphire reached for the weapon at her side, aimed at the bear, and pulled the trigger. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as the metal bullet shot out of the barrel of the gun and pierced the Pokemon's forehead. Its brown coat turned crimson red as the beast dropped dead.
"You have some way of showing love..." the voice joked but at the same time, sounded very serious.
"I—I didn't mean to!" Sapphire fell to her knees as she stared at her victim. She had claimed to love Pokemon all this time, but she didn't even hesitate to kill one.
"You are only one of many humans who have committed the crime of killing Pokemon. However, I'm giving you the chance to make up for your kind."
"I—I wanna go home..." Sapphire murmured, still shaken up from the experience.
"Are you prepared to take on a great responsibility?"
"No," Sapphire answered finally falling back into reality, "just take me home! I don't wanna go on a journey anymore!"
"I'm sorry, but your fate was decided when you left the safety of your village. It will be your duty to repent for your species."
"JUST BRING ME HOME!!! I DON'T CARE ABOUT POKEMON ANYMORE!!!" tears running down her cheeks at this point.
"Too late, your time has come. Welcome to the world of Pokemon..."
***** End of Flashback *****
I was taken aback at what I had just witnessed. Was that really me? Was I really that naïve? Was I really a murderer...?
The suddenly, I heard a large explosion that seem to disrupt my dream-state. The darkness faded away but I saw that I wasn't in the Sacred Forest anymore. I was surrounded by three brick walls and one wall made of steel bars. Was I in jail? Beyond the bars was a cloud of smoke which I guess was an aftermath of the earlier explosion.
"What the hells going on here! Someone go check on the prisoner!" ordered a deep, masculine voice in the smoke.
"Where do you think you're going?" I heard a familiar voice shout that immediately filled me with happiness and confidence. I heard a few screams of pain from unfamiliar voices until the fog finally cleared, revealing exactly what I expected. Standing proudly outside the cell was Neos, his fist glowing in a blue aura.
"What are you doing here?" I asked with a smirk, obviously unaware of how serious the situation was.
"I should be asking you that. Getting yourself thrown into jail in MY town. I'm here to bust you out." Neos used his glowing fist to smash through the steel bars and create an opening for me to levitate out of. Without even exchanging hellos, Neos ordered me to follow him down the long hallway of the dull prison. Throughout the whole process, I was wondering how the hell I got myself into this situation in the first place. The last thing I remembered was reading the stone in the Sacred Forest. The hallway consisted of other cells which held some tough looking Pokemon, many of them begging for Neos' help. Finally we reached a staircase that we quickly climbed.
We emerged behind a wooden house that seemed to be near a port at the end of a town. Docked at the port was a rather large ship that looked as if it was getting ready to sail.
"Neos the Lucario and Sapphire the Pupitar, nice of you to join us." shouted a voice from above. We stopped our running and looked up at a flying dragon that looked like a super-sized Dratini. The Dragonair swooped down infront of us and blocked our path. I caught a glimpse of a large scar that ran across his stomach.
"You're not gonna ruin my catch, Neos. I worked hard to catch young Sapphire." the Dragonair said in a very familiar voice, but I couldn't wrap my mind on who he sounded like.
"Step aside Drake! You still mad Sapphire and her team kicked your butt in the tournament?" Drake!? Drake and his crew lived here? With Neos? Did I give him that scar? And did he say he's the one who got me put in jail? Man, I never wanna blackout again. You miss SO much stuff...
"I was only doing my job as a Rescue Team. My team was in the bushes investigating the explosions in the Sacred Forest. And who do we find but Team Blaze. We waited for you guys to drive out the legends and we were about to reveal ourselves when we heard you ranting about False Legends and humans. After seeing your face expression and hearing you speak that weird language, we put two and two together and figured you were the one described in the legend. After that, it was easy to take out your weakened teammates. However, we realized they had nothing to do with you being a False Legend and after explaining your situation to your team, two of them were ready to leave you behind to rot in jail. That damn Pikachu was the only loyal one."
I started thinking about Zeke and Seth and how they reacted to the news. I probably would have done the same thing if I knew the reason for the death of my parents. But now that I knew I had parents (or at least a mom), I knew I had something to live for. It figures Silk wasn't affected much by the news seeing as the deaths didn't affect her at all.
"So there's no more Team Blaze...?" I asked Neos.
"Actually, your teammates are on that ship which is where we're headed also. There may be a bit of tension, but you can't let the team go out like that. However, we must leave the island at once seeing as news of you being a False Legend is spreading quickly." His answer both frightened and reassured me.
"You two aren't going anywhere!" Drake ordered, standing his ground.
"I wasn't going to tell you Drake but you're wanted just as much as we are. Just like Team Creation and Team Blaze, Team Burst has been accused of being an acquaintance of Sapphire. If you don't believe me, come to the ship. You'll see that Vulpy and Squirt are already there."
Drake hesitated to answer. He hadn't seen his fellow teammates of Team Burst in a while so it was possible that they were on the ship. Finally, he lowered his body.
"Hop on; I can fly you there quickly." Drake suggested. Neos quickly grabbed me and boarded the Dragonair. I could tell Drake was uncomfortable carrying me of all Pokemon. As we were riding to the ship, I began to think of something.
"Hey Neos, where's Abby and Daren?"
"I ditched them when I heard about you. I couldn't afford getting them tangled up in this. They're gonna stay here and try to clear our names." he seemed uneasy as he answered. It was obvious he had bonded with his new teammates.
As we closed in on the ship, I saw that there was various holes along the sides and I wondered how we were gonna survive out on the ocean. Strong winds brushed against the sails but the boat was held in place by a steel chain connected to the dock. When we landed, Drake immediately went searching for his teammates and Neos went to go signal the captain. I levitated above the wooden floor that looked like it could break at any second as I looked for my friends... or former friends. Finally, I found them on the ship's deck staring at a cloudless sky.
"You're late, Sapphire." Seth shouted without even glancing at me. Man, I swear this guy had psychic powers or something.
"Sapphire?" Zeke turned around and slowly walked up to me. I closed my eyes and expected the worse but instead, Zeke wrapped his arms around me and embraced my in a friendly hug.
"It wasn't right for us to leave you like that. We were just caught off-guard when we heard about the False Legend thing. But you don't have to explain, we know that even you weren't aware of what you really were." He made it seem like I was an alien or something. Silk hurried over and joined in on our hug. Seth simply smiled and shrugged. It was good to know nothing changed... well, except for the fact that I was the most wanted person on the planet at the moment. But you can't let stuff like that ruin these memorable moments, because this is what I call a real memory.
***** End of chap 18 *****
Yeah, there's gonna be a 19. I'm really counting on you guys to point out any glaring errors because my minds more focused on passing fianl exams rather than writing. Next chapter probably at the end of next week.
Spoiler:
There might be a revised version of this chapter in the future because I actually found it kind of confusing.
Woah...this entire time I thought Sapphire was a boy...save the name, but I thought that was just his pokemon name. Cool chapter though, it's nice to finally discover some of what's been going on this whole time.
I agree with you on the confusing parts. But hey, you have finals to focus on, and those are more important. (Good luck on them!)
It was nice to read about Sapphire's history. Interesting that she grew up in a place that hated Pokemon. Now she's good friends with the creatures that she was raised to "dispise".
Aside from a few typos, there weren't any mistakes. The main problem with this chapter was the slight confusion. Especially the build-up to the flashback, and the prison scene after the flash back. (You also might want to add more to the flashback. I don't know what, but it seems like it was missing something.)
DOUBLE WARNING:
1)USE OF FAKEMON IN CHAPTER
2)RATED PG-13 FOR BLOOD AND VIOLENCE
Chapter Nineteen: The Beggining of the End
As the boat began to leave port, we separated from our hug. Zeke walked back over to Seth at the deck and Silk started running all over the place.
"Hey, fugitive, how about a rematch?" said an annoying voice from behind me. I turned around and saw a smirking Drake with his little posse.
To his left was a blue, turtle-like Pokemon that stood about three feet tall. His skin was the same shade of blue as the surrounding ocean and his shell resembled the many rocks along the coast. His white and puffy ears and tail seemed out-of-place on this cloudless day. It seems Squirt has evolved.
To his right was one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen—probably only second to Suicune herself. The golden mane of the fox enhanced her piercing red eyes. Each of her flowing nine tales was tipped with a scarlet patch of hair the glimmered in the sunlight. Vulpy was one lucky girl.
"Leave me alone, Drake!" I shouted just loud enough so my teammates could here me. I saw Zeke and Seth look our way when I turned away, but Silk was still lost in her own little world. Drake, who wouldn't take no for an answer, swooped over my head and dropped to the floor. If I had legs, I most assuredly would have tripped.
"Let's just leave her alone, Drake." Squirt suggested.
"Yeah, I don't think you wanna get beat by same person twice." Vulpy added with a giggle. Drake glared at her but didn't respond. No good teammate would back-talk their leader. I wonder what that says about Team Blaze...
Drake, however, didn't let down his assault. With his tail, he gave me a hard push that disrupted my levitation, causing me to fall flat on my face.
"Later I'll have to ask you how this dirty, old ship tastes!" Drake joked as he burst into laughter. Gradually, his teammates joined in. Drake readied for another joke but was interrupted when a black ring shot right by his face.
"The next one won't miss, punk." Seth threatened with a blazing Zeke by his side. Silk was still no where to be found.
"A three on three seems fair, how about it Vulpy?" Drake asked eagerly. Something tells me he would have attacked even if it was a one on three.
Vulpy simply sighed and replied with a, "Whatever..." A smirk ran across Squirt's face and it became apparent that he anticipated a battle as well.
"THERE BE NO FIGHTIN' ABOARD ME SHIP!!!" ordered a rugged voice outside of our little gathering. We all immediately looked over to see Neos walking beside a dragon-like Pokemon with a weird limp. The black and gray beast fashioned two curled up horns upon the top of his pointed head. Along his head, neck, back and tail were small spikes that looked as hard as bone. His black claws were curled up into a tight fist and the small wings jutting from his back were fully expanded as if he was about to take flight. The only thing that really stood out from his figure was his yellow eyes that seemed to be fixated on EVERYONE.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Caleb the Dracos!" Neos said, introducing his friend.
Squirt, disregarding the fact that he was ready to brawl, responded, "Pleasure to have met you, Cal—."
"That's cap'ain to ye, lad." Cal—captain said, interrupting him. "Now as I was sayin', I don't wan' any o' you scallywags fightin' on me ship. At leas' not each o'her..."
Not-so-surprisingly, good old Drake wouldn't let it go. "You're not the boss of me, Cal—."
Not even letting him finish, the Captain reached out for Drake and grabbed him, one of his claws pressing hard on his scar. It was a fairly slow strike but it caught Drake off-guard.
"What did I JUS' get throu' sayin', boy?" the Captain shouted, tightening his grip. His claw slightly pierced the scar and a small trickle of blood ran around the sharp nail and down the scales of the dragon. Although it was wrong, I couldn't help but smirk a little.
"An' what're you smirkin' at?"
"Nothing Captain!" I answered quickly.
"Okay, okay, back to what Caleb was saying." Neos began as the Captain released Drake. For some reason, Caleb didn't even give Neos a dirty look after he addressed him by his name. "What he meant by not attacking each other is that a navy ship is trailing us this very moment. We suspect they'll catch up in a few hours but until then, you must save your strength. Whether you like it or not, we're all going to have to work together to get out of this one."
"An' one more thing. Neos 'ere told me 'bout yer previous fights an' I got some a'vice for ya. Fight to kill! No more knockin' 'em out or hurtin' 'em badly. Jus' because you let someone else live don't mean they'd do th' same for you."
Everyone nodded in agreement, but I'm sure none of us meant it. Rescue teams weren't allowed to kill other Pokemon, just restrain them from getting in the way of their mission. Of course, with our current reputation, we were the ones who would need rescuing.
With that, the Captain turned in the opposite direction and him and Neos walked to what probably was the captain's quarters. About five seconds after that, Silk came running over with a smile on her face.
"What'd I miss?" she asked as she saw the expressions on our faces. Everyone, even Team Burst, smiled and just walked away. Silk, however, was completely lost.
***** A Few Hours Later *****
All of Team Blaze was assembled at the stern of the ship. By now, any form of land was invisible to the naked eye. However, we could see a ship with rather large sails approaching quickly.
"Hey guys, I was wondering," Silk began, "how are we gonna get by in life? You know, since we're wanted and all..."
"Well, seeing as we're hated by most of the world, we'll have to convert to the low standards of society." Seth answered. Silk just tilted her head and blinked a few times.
Seth simply sighed and tried again, "We're gonna have to sneak around maybe even steal stuff."
"You mean we're gonna have to be thieves!?"
"Uh... yeah, if it resorts to that."
"Why thieves!?" Silk complained, "We're already on a ship, let's be pirates!"
No matter how hard we tried to resist, me and Zeke gradually began rolling on the floor in laughter. Seth mumbled some inaudible words which were probably something like "Why do I even try?"
"What's so funny!?" Silk cried, clueless as usual. You could always count on her to liven up a moment.
***** About Another Hour Later *****
We were still at the stern of the ship but we weren't paying attention to our pursuers.
"Attention all shipmates, report to starboard side of th' ship! For you know-nothin', land dwellers, that's th' RIGHT side!" ordered the Captain from his quarters. When we arrived, we noticed that everyone else was already there.
"What's going on?" I asked fearfully.
"They're 'ere..." the Captain replied, pointing one of his claws at the ship that was nearly intertwined with ours.
"Attention all passengers!" began an enhanced voice. I then saw a Machoke speaking through a cone-shaped object. "The Serene Navy hereby orders you to drop anchor and surrender peacefully. You are accused of harboring the fugitive, Sapphire the False Legend!" More Machoke began to gather around the front of the ship until it became obvious that the crew only consisted of the Machoke species. Their muscular bodies glistening with sweat as the sun stuck them with—Whoa, getting too personal there...
I thought we were ruined until I heard the Captain reply, "Look 'ere you sorry bunch o' sailors. Yer gonna 'ave to come aboard me ship and take us by force!"
When the navy ship was completely aligned with ours, a rather large Machoke stepped up to meet us face to face. The blue star-shaped badge on his chest made it obvious that he was the captain.
"You've got to be kidding me? Caleb and Sapphire the Pupitar on the same ship!? I'm getting two Pidgeys with one Geodude!"
"That's Captain Caleb to you..."
The Machoke just shrugged and signaled a Machoke behind him. "You won't get away this time, Caleb."
At that very moment, a Machoke came running from the opposite side of his ship and leapt off it. Captain Caleb, however, walked over to the edge of his ship and held out his hand. Amazingly, the Machoke's neck landed right in his hand and Captain Caleb gripped hard. The body building Pokemon swung his arms as he gasped for air, but the bipedal dragon simply smirked and gripped harder.
"I told you already, it's CAPTAIN CALEB!" With that, he dug his nails deep into the neck of the Pokemon and I heard a loud snap. Blood completely drenched his hand but he merely shook it off as he dropped the dead Pokemon into the reckless sea. Everyone, even Neos, flinched at the sight of his merciless kill. It became evident that he was serious about killing our opponents.
The enemy ship suddenly veered toward us and nearly crashed into us. We all quickly moved away, only to notice that the enemy just wanted a better jumping range. Within seconds, around twenty-five Machoke, including their captain, came jumping onto our ship. Twenty-five Pokemon probably wanting to bring us in alive versus nine pokemon ordered to kill. I love it when the odds are in our favor.
Without hesitation, Neos charged at a small group of Machoke with blinding fast speed. One Machoke attempted to head-butt the wolf, but Neos held up his wrist up in defense, causing his enemy to slam his forehead into Neos' sharp spike. The Pokemon immediately dropped to the floor, blood spewing from a large, gapping hole in his head. The other two Machoke were left stunned and Neos made quick work of them by placing his palms on their chest and closing his eyes. A blue aura began to surround his hands and without regard for his opponent's lives, he shot two energy beams through their body's, sending them over the edge.
"Ha-ha, that's the idea Neos!" Captain Caleb complimented. Spreading his wings wide, he took flight and flew over the entire Navy fleet. After circling over their head for a few seconds, the Machoke's just left him alone and figured he was trying to escape. BIG MISTAKE!!! The dragon swooped in low with his arms spread apart and managed to grab four Machoke off the deck. As soon as he was over the ocean, he released them and allowed them to drop to their deaths. One of the Machoke poked his head out of the water and tried to dog-paddle back to safety. Once again, big mistake. Captain Caleb raised his hand close to his face and stared at it with his golden eyes. As if it was possessed by some evil spirit, the hand became incased in a black aura and the Captain went in for the kill. The poor Machoke was caught off-guard when the Captain ran his razor sharp claws across the exposed back of the Pokemon. Slowly but surely, the Pokemon sank and drowned.
Having seen enough, the remaining eighteen came charging at the rest of us with full force. With his long, slim body, Drake curled his body around another four Machoke and sent them flying over the edge of the ship. When the Pokemon finally hit the water, Drake hovered over the water and flew in small, quick circles, creating a small whirlpool in the water. Only a water type could survive that long without air.
Zeke shot balls of fire at two approaching Machoke, burning them ruthlessly. However, when both of them stammered back to their feet, Vulpy released a tornado or flames that quickly incased the Pokemon. When the flare dissipated, the two Machoke laid motionless on the ship's floor, patches of burned skin all around their body.
Squirt decided to run straight into the crowd. He got hit a few times on the shell but that probably hurt the Machoke more than himself. When he was directly in the middle, he shot from his mouth into the air as if he were some kind of geyser, drenching all nearby Pokemon. Seeing the genius of his plan, Silk too charged for the horde but her body was coated was coated in electricity. After Squirt escaped the crowd and Silk impacted it, I saw it was the same move she used on Suicune. Not only was the attack strong but since they were all covered in water, a small explosion formed causing six Machoke to fly off the ship.
Seth, with his usual calm expression stamped on his face, waited for the Machoke to come to him. Finally, after three Machoke assembled around him, a menacing grin formed on his face. His began to take on a sinister glow and the Machoke were absolutely mesmerized by it. As the light faded, the Machoke just stood there, staring at each other. Suddenly, the Pokemon started punching and attacking their comrades as if it were their one true goal in life. In the midst of all this confusion, Seth rammed the three Pokemon into the sea.
I stood face to face with the Machoke caption. He seemed to be a bit more muscular than the rest and the rest were strong enough. He curled his hand into a tight fist and quickly swung at me. I didn't expect the strike to be so fast and I was hit right between the eyes. I actually flipped backwards a few time before falling to the floor. It's a good thing I didn't have nose, or else it would have been leaking of blood. The Machoke slowly approached me, his hand still balled into a fist. Then, out of no where, Captain Caleb appeared behind the Machoke and held him in place with his arms.
"So what now, Caleb? You gonna kill me?" the Machoke said as he struggled to get free.
"Oh no, captain." Captain Caleb answered. A slight grin ran across his face, exposing his fangs as he finished, "She's gonna kill you..."
I stared at him with questionable eyes and he stared back as if he had given that instruction many times before. His slammed his knee into the Machoke's back and he quickly dropped to the floor, unable to stand or walk. I slowly got up and watched as he begged for mercy. It was a pathetic plead but he was a living creature. A fellow Pokemon... I searched for that hidden anger I kept inside my body and as it began to seep through my veins, I caught a brief flashback of my dream. The image of a raging Ursaring charging at a helpless girl. The sound of the bullet being shot out of the barrel. The sound of a Pokemon screaming in pain. The eerie silence of the lonely cave. That damn voice...
Once I fell back into reality, I realized that my assault on the Machoke had begun, and was going on for some time now. I saw Zeke screaming and trying to stop me, only to be held back by Captain Caleb. I don't know what he was saying and I don't think I want to know. Finally, I regained control over my drone-like body, I gasped in horror at the sight of a half-dead, brutally beaten Machoke.
"Still alive, eh? I can fix that." Captain Caleb grumbled. He picked up the now unrecognizable Pokemon with one hand and the Machoke hung motionlessly. He slowly walked over to the edge of the ship and tossed him overboard. As he did so, he saw that a few surviving Machoke were attempting to swim back to their ship.
"Hey, Pikachu, come 'ere!" he ordered. Silk contemplated whether she should listen or not but within seconds, she was standing beside the dragon.
"Shock th' water, now!" he instructed.
"But there are Pokemon in the water!" I then remembered that Silk wasn't there when we had our little talk with the captain.
"Did you not jus' witness what we did? We ain't leavin' no survivors! I'll throw you into th' ocean myself is I 'ave to!"
Reluctantly, Silk shot a bolt of electricity into the Pokemon filled waters. The voltage traveled along the surface of the water until it met a solid object. Case in point, the Machoke. The paralyzed bodies of the surviving Machoke leisurely sunk to depts. of the sea.
We all gawked at each other, unsure of what had just happened. We had taken a big step in our journey. We now had a good reason to be on the run. We were cold-blooded murderers.
At last, Captain Caleb came up to us and said, "Get rid of any remainin' bodies an' clean up all th' blood." Then he walked over to his quarters, making it seem like this was just a walk in the park for him.
"Captain Caleb has an... interesting past. In time, you'll understand his decision." Neos said, trying to explain. Of course, no amount of explanation could make up for what we just did. I saw streams of tears running down Silk's face, only to turn into vapor when they touched her charged up cheeks. Nevertheless, I just dropped the subject and we went to clean our mess...
***** Early Next Morning *****
Terrible nightmares kept me up the entire night. I continuously saw the face of that beat up Machoke. So many lives were taken that day and why? Because we didn't want to get caught? That's simply absurd! There's no other way to describe it. The room I was sleeping in didn't help cheer me up in the least bit. You could tell the room was painted many times because when one layer was peeling away, you could clearly see another. The door couldn't close all the way and made this creepy croaking sound that actually saved me from a few unpleasant nightmares. During one particular nightmare, I was in this dark cave. Directly in front of me was completely black Pokemon that was hovered above the ground. A large, red chain was wrapped around its neck, blocking most of its face. Although I was still able to see its sky blue eyes and a white substance flowing behind its head. It reached out its long hand and nearly touched me before I woke up from a knock on the door.
"Come in!" I shouted as I wondered who'd be up this early. As the croaked open, I saw the figure of a bipedal dragon.
"Uh... good morning Captain Caleb."
"An' good mornin' to ya too. I came 'ere to discuss our plans."
"Plans? What plans?"
"You know, where we plan on goin'. Don't tell me ye ain't been wonderin'!?"
"Well, actually, I have."
"Well, we'll actually be goin' to a few places. First, we'll be goin' to Pillar Lake where there someone I'd like for ye to meet. Then, we're headin' for Enigma Isle, where there's supposedly a False Legend."
"Whoa, bring that back for sec. You're taking me to a False Legend!? How is that supposed to clear my name?"
"You're fogettin' that them there False Legends are connected with th' humans. I'm sure they'll want to help the human described in the prophecy back to his or her own world. Of course, that's after we persuade 'em a little." How did he know about the prophecy? Did Neos tell him?
"Well, what am I gonna do at Pillar Lake?"
"Your current state as a Pupitar ain't strong enough to take on more then one Pokemon at a time. Shoot, if I ain't shown up when I did, you probably wouldn't be 'ere right now. Trainin' will take too long an' that's where th' lake comes in. You'll understand when we get there. Now get some rest, you got a big journey comin' up." the Captain then left me to think about our discussion. A new journey? Everything was happening so fast. Only a few days ago, I was a respectful member of a rescue team. Now I was scheduled for a meeting with the False Legends themselves? Trying to accept all this at once, I slowly drifted into a deep sleep. When I woke up, my new journey would start and by the way things were going so far, I'd need all the energy I could get...
***** End of chapter 19 *****
Spoiler:
Caleb the Dracos.
Spoiler:
Attacks used in chapter: Night Slash(Caleb), Aura Sphere(Neos), Wrap(Drake), Twister(Drake), Lava Plume(Zeke), Fire Spin(Vulpy), Water Gun(Squirt), Volt Tackle(Silk), Discharge(Silk), Thrash(Sapphire)
I hope you all enjoyed the fic! Don't worry, it'll return sooner or later! (Hope you didn't think I was gonna end it on that note!?)
Thanks Hanako but I'm a bit stuck at the moment. I planned to only write this far and continue on Mission Pokemon 2 (which wont come for a few months). To fill up this time, I was going to write a Trainer fic to improve my description skills and such. However, my fans from Serebii are urging me to just finish Mission Pokemon first and then go onto my next fic. I'd really appreciate your opinon on the matter.
My opinon? If this was going to be a two-parter, you should've named it "Mission Pokemon: Part One".
But yesh, I've muchly enjoyed this fic, and I think that now is as good a time as any to switch to part two. After all, they've just gone from normal, friendly Pokemon looking for answers to a group of unwilling murderers, and they're setting out on the second leg of their journey. However, as the author, you should really be the one to make the ultimate decision on where to stop. My advice is really kind of pointless.
Nice to know you're still there, ACC (I believe that's what they call you O.o). I'm almost positive most of you will be completely confused by the end of the chapter. Just... bare with me XD.
Chapter 20: Journey to Pillar Lake
Once again, I woke up earlier than planned. This time, it was due to a bolt of lightning shooting down from the gray skies and crackling down on the relentless sea. The sound of continuous pattering from above engulfed the room as if a million Rattata were scurrying across the deck. As the boat sadistically rocked from side to side, a single drop of water escaped from the ceiling and splashed directly in the middle of my forehead. We were in the middle of a storm.
"I quit..." I whispered to myself, figuring from this point on that it was impossible to go to sleep. Was this punishment for the immoral acts we previously took part in? I dismissed the thought as I began to levitate over my bed. Now wasn't the time for doubts. We did what we had to do, that's that.
Upon leaving my room, I noticed that it was still pretty early and the sun hadn't even come out yet. There was but a lonely soul on the deck, someone who seemed to be unfazed by rain. I advanced to the shadowy figure, only to stop in my tracks from a bad vibe. I began to reminisce the moment when I nearly drowned in that terrible waterfall. I remembered how the water easily overpowered me and thrust me down to the depths. I remembered how pressure quickly forced the air out of my lungs. I unknowingly backed away from the deck, frightened by the site of the raging sea. What was happening to me?
The figure must have noticed me, as it turned to face me, and I shuddered at the sight of a troubled Silk. Her usually perky, bright cheeks were now a dull grey. Her tail lost its lightning-like stature as it lay idly on the floor. Her face was drenched in a mixture of rain and tears. She had been like this ever since she finished off those remaining Machoke.
She slowly approached the edge of the ship and climbed along the railing. One step forward and she'd be done for. I attempted to move to her, but my body stood its ground. The possibility of me falling off the railing as I tried to help Silk raced through my mind. Then that waterfall scene wandered into my head and my brain refused to allow my body to move toward the water. Was I afraid? No, that could be it... could it? I tried to speak, but no words came out. I tried to send a Dark Pulse her way, but no energy was released. Peering over the edge, Silk finally turned around and gazed into my pain-stricken eyes; and I did hers. He moved one foot forward and tried to walk back onto the ship, only to slip off the railing and fall into the ravenous ocean.
"SILK!!!" I was finally able to speak, but my body still wouldn't move. After about ten seconds, I lost all hope for my rodent friend. That is, until I saw her fly back onto the ship aboard a slim dragon.
"Some friend you are..." Drake commented as he set Silk back on deck. She didn't even bother thanking him and began running around the ship.
"I—I wanted to help her but..." I tried to sum up an explanation but what was I going to say? I could talk or speak? Drake wouldn't believe that seeing as I just screamed out Silk's name.
"You know what, I don't even care. Just go and wake her up!"
"Wake her up? What do you mean?" I inquired.
"Isn't it obvious!? She's sleep walking! Most likely during a nightmare." Drake exclaimed before flying off into the still unlit sky. I wanted to ask him why he was awake so early but I had something more important to do; like getting Silk out of her trance.
Catching a Pikachu isn't as easy as it sounds. Actually, it doesn't sound easy to begin with. Pikachu tend to be pretty fast, and Silk was no exception. I chased her around for at least twenty minutes before finally confronting her... only to remember I had no arms, so she just ran around me. Getting increasingly irritated with the current situation, I let out a low growl and shot a single, black ring from my forehead. As planned, the ring smacked right into her back, knocking her off her feet. I slowly crept up to the yellow mouse as she steadily got to her feet, along with the sun. Seconds later, the recognizable face of my good friend smiled before me as the rising sun radiated her body.
"Why are we outside so early, Sapphy?" she asked, while rubbing her eyes. I doubt she remembered what had just occurred.
"It's not THAT early," I began. I really needed to change the subject.
"Hey guys, look over there!" shouted a voice from above us. Both I and Silk looked to see Drake pointing his tail at something in front of the ship. We hurried over to the front and immediately caught sight of what Drake was talking about. Not too far ahead of us was a particularly small island choked with trees.
"I'll inform the captain!" I quickly stated before running off for the captain's quarters. Whew, saved by Drake. Who would of thought?
***** A few hours later *****
The sun was now completely raised, but you wouldn't notice with all the clouds blocking it. As we got closer to the island, its features became more visible. The trees were no where near as tall as those from the Sacred Forest, but they were still pretty tall. No signs of civil life were detectable and we figured the island was uninhabited. The closer we got to the land mass, the less water Pokemon we saw swimming around the ship, until there were none at all. When we were finally close enough, we dropped anchor and walked onto the mysterious island.
"Is this what I think this is, Captain Caleb?" I asked, although the answer was pretty obvious.
"If yer thinkin' that this is Pillar Isle, then yer right." he replied, grabbing a handful of the white sand that spanned across the shore. There was something unusual about the island, I just didn't know what.
"Okay, here's the plan," Neos explained, "I, Vulpy, Squirt and Silk will remain here and watch over the ship. The rest of you will follow Caleb into the woods."
Silk seemed a little sad about the news. She was the only member of Team Blaze who had to stay behind. After exchanging good-byes, our group went into the woods. The trees were just as tightly packed as they were in the Sacred Forest. I wouldn't be surprised if we were attacked by a swarm of over-sized bugs or if a Legend appeared before us. Zeke complained how we were in danger of getting ambushed at any moment, but we all knew the island was deserted. I was hoping that Zeke's cowardly was had disappeared with his evolution, but not all wishes come true.
"We're almos' there. Hurry along now mates." Captain Caleb said as he picked up the pace. Zeke, Drake, and me gave each other questioning looks and decided to follow the captain. We kept on running until we appeared in a clearing containing a rather large lake. The tips of large boulders surfaced above the lake and led up to a pyramid shaped rocks make completely of, what looked liked, silver.
"And where exactly are we?" Seth asked inquisitively as he stepped closer to the lake.
"Pillar Lake," the captain answered walking up beside the black fox.
"Oh... what's Pillar Lake?" Zeke pondered, scratching his head.
"Somewhere where you don't belong!" exclaimed a mysterious voice. I was sure everyone heard it seeing as we all started searching for it source. That is, everyone except Captain Caleb, who merely lowered his head with a smirk.
"Don' go scarin' th' children!" Captain Caleb seemed to direct his statement to the lake itself. Without warning, the splashed upward and a serpentine figure sprung up from the lake. The falling lake water obscured my vision but when the downpour ceased, I stood (Well, levitated, but you get the point) face to face with a Pokemon more divine than Suicune and Vulpy combined. Its moist skin had creamy tone to it, much like Zeke's. Above its rosy eyes were two fin-like objects that brushed with the wind. A few feet behind it, I could see a rainbow colored fin sticking out of the water resembling that of a mermaid's. How a Pokemon that large could live in a lake, I still don't know.
"Ah, it's just you, Caleb." The Milotic said gracefully. She then began staring at me and Drake. "You never come by just to say 'hello'?"
A laughter almost escaped from the captain but he quickly regained himself and replied, "There are more important things at th' moment, but I think you already noticed that."
"Forced Evolution is a dangerous and FORBIDDEN practice. And I know you know the consequences." she said, getting very serious. Forced Evolution? Sounds painful...
"Yeah, I know. But th' Pupitar must evolve or we're done for." Wait a minute... WHAT THE HELL!? They were going to force my evolution?
"What the hell's going on?" I screamed. Why didn't he tell me about this earlier?
"Sapphire, you won't stand a chance agains' them False Legends, or the authorities for that matter, if you don' get any stronger." the Captain explained.
"Hehe, sucks for you Sapphire!" Drake mocked before sticking his tongue out at me.
"Well, at least I'll be strong enough to give you a good, old beat down!" I loved the feeling of giving a come-back like that.
"Not necessarily," the Milotic added, butting into the conversation, "forced evolution has its drawbacks. You won't be nearly as strong as you would be if you evolved normally. Also, why don't we go ahead and evolve the Dragonair as well?" she directed that last part at the captain instead of Drake. I saw Drake's face light up with excitement and he quickly flew over to the serpentine Pokemon.
"Me? A Dragonite!? Tell me how! TELL ME!!!" Gosh, so immature...
"Patience, the road to this form of evolution is dangerous and life-threatening?"
"How so?" I asked, a little shaken up. I imagined the key to forced evolution in some trap-ridden cave.
"Okay, brace yourselves," she began, "you must... touch that rock!" Her tail pointed at the silver pyramid. Wait a minute... touch a simple rock? How hard could that be?
"You're joking... right?" Drake questioned, his excitement now killed.
"Dead serious," she answered nodding, "but that's not the dangerous part .As you may or may not know; evolution is both mental and physical. The energy emitted from the rock will draw out your evolutionary state at an amazing rate, which is usually drawn out steadily while training. That can cause a serious strain on your mental and physical state. If you're wondering why the practice was outlawed, it was because some Pokemon would lose their mind, or even die."
"Okay, so when do we get started!?" Drake asked.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Did you not just hear what she said? We can DIE! D – I – E. As in not be among the living anymore!" I tried to explain, but that stupid smirk spread across his face just wouldn't go away.
"Okay Caleb, you're going to far now. What if the evolution goes wrong and something happens to Sapphire." Seth said, rather annoyed. How sweet, he really did care about me...
"What did you call me, mate?" the captain said, walking over to the Umbreon.
"Hey, back off!" Zeke called as he ran to his friend's side. I had forgotten he was even here.
"Calm down guys, I think I'll take my chances." I didn't really believe in what I said, but I couldn't allow a fight to break up.
"Are you sure Sapphire?" the two said simultaneously.
"Yeah, so don't worry. I'll come out of this perfectly normal!"
"Great, just keep telling yourself that!" the Milotic said, butting into the conversation once again, "Now, hurry over to that rock."
"As I hurried over to the lake, it finally hit me that the rock was in the middle of the lake. I'd have to cross the water... My body began to stiffen up like before. No way. Not NOW of all times.
"What's wrong Sapphire, having doubts?" Drake smirked. He was already at the stone. It was amazing that he didn't start without me.
"N—no I j—just... It's nothing." Well, at least I was able to speak.
"Well hurry along!"
Taking in a deep breathe, I raised my levitation to its highest point and slowly hovered across the lake. A voice in my head kept telling me that I needed to make it to the pyramid, and at one point, I wasn't even sure if it was my own voice. I made sure to stay directly over the rocks that surfaced above the water, just incase I fainted. I didn't want to look back, knowing that everyone would have a questionable look on their face. Unbeknownst to them, I had never been so scared in my Pokemon life. After taking forever and a day, I finally reached the silver stone. What was with this world and special rocks anyway?
"Okay," the Milotic began to instruct, "now all you have to do is lay your head on the rock. Yeah, I know it sounds weird bust just do it." Drake immediately obeyed but I had a question. After turning around to ask it, I saw how the captain was glaring at me with those yellow eyes of his. I decided to dismiss my question and followed after Drake.
At first, I didn't feel anything at all. I wondered how stupid I looked while placing my entire face on the rock, as I really didn't know which part of me was my head. Then, slowly, my surrounding started to become blurry until nothing was clearly visible. I closed my eyes, and casually drifted into my own little world.
**********
"Let me out, Sapphire!"
"What the... who said that?" I thought it was the voice from my flashback, but this one was much too rugged.
"I'm the real you... the inner Tyranitar."
"How could you be me if... well, if I'm me!?" This talk was confusing me.
"You're just a shell of your true self. Come on Sapphire, let me out. You NEED me..."
"I'm not too sure. The Milotic warned me about Pokemon losing control of themselves. All I have to do is concentrate."
"I've been locked up in here ever since you entered this world. Just give me a little time, I can help you..."
"No, I can do this on my own!"
"Just how you got across the water on your own?"
"Huh, what are you talking about?"
"It was I who encouraged you to make it here. Now repay the favor and LET ME OUT!"
"No! I have to stay in control!" Was I really talking to myself? Now I was sure of it, something HAD to be wrong wit me.
"Let me out Sapphire. You need me."
"No,"
"Yes, you do. I have power. You need me!"
"No, I don't" I struggled to maintain control.
"Don't lie to yourself, you need me."
"Just... leave me alone."
"I have power, Sapphire. You need me. I can help you. I can help you complete your journey. I can help you get back home. You need me, Sapphire, you need me..."
***** End of Chapter 20 *****
What will be the fate of Sapphire and Drake? Find out in...
A_C_C is right about your title. To differentiate between the two fics concerning Sapphire and her adventures, you either need a "2" in the title of the next "book", or just come up with a new title that is close enough to this one. And yes, if you do follow along with the "Mission Pokemon 2", you might want to fix up this chapter.
Sometime soon in the plot is when you should start the next book. A large change happened in the lives of the characters enough that it doesn't really seem like the same book. :< I really don't think I'm making sense.
As for your other fic, write it! Just as long as you don't abandon Mission Pokemon, then you should be all right. You might want to wait a bit before posting this new trainer fic though. This way, you only have to worry about updating one fic on the forums. Plus, you can work longer on each individual chapter of the new fic before posting it to make it as good as you can.
Of course, this advice is coming from someone who is writing two fics and planning a third one all at the same time. ^^
And no, I wasn't confused at the end of the chapter. Though I shall add that you should make Sapphire's fear of the water more apparent. She was just on a boat doing perfectly fine, unless I just missed something.
Thanks Hanako, and this time I didn't have to PM you about the update. I have made a decision and I'll start a new fic when I'm done with this. In other words, the entire story of Mission Pokemon will be posted in this thread. Also, Hanako, her fear was the reason why she didn't save Silk right away. I was going to have her be a little sea sick when the ship first took off but I took that out for the mass-murder XD.
