((Now to see if I can get myself involved in this somehow. I am open for recruitment, so if you want a third member, look me up or something.))
Layne was laying down on the sand. Eyes closed, hands (or paws) behind his head. Beneath his closed eye lids he could feel and see what little of the sun's light was getting through the barrier of skin. He breathed deep. He was used to taking such deep breaths. In the years of training, he had finally discovered how to increase his lung capacity and now, he could hold his breath almost ten minutes on a good breath of air.
The light which beat down on his eyelids was shaded. He smiled. Layne didn't have to have the telepathic powers of any psychic pokémon to know who was over him. He opened his eyes, to see Autumn, his lover above him, with one of her usual smiles. Layne didn't know what it was about her, but something about her name, her self, her personality, and anything else he could think of, blended so well with her. It was almost surprising to think that this love of his was even here.
"Hi, gorgeous." he said.
She giggled and lay with him. The sun beat down on both their bodies. Layne sat up and breathed in deep. He exhaled it all slowly. Autumn giggled at him. "You're such a little weirdo when it comes to those breathing exercises."
Layne looked at Autumn, "Well they help. Maybe you should do them with me. Then maybe someday, we'll be able to hold our breath together underwater for two hours."
"What would we do?"
"Live."
"Layne, you're..."
"I'm what?"
Autumn giggled and sat up with Layne. "Wanna go swim for a little?"
Layne chuckled, and said, "I don't see why not."
The two went out into the water. Their air sacs kept both of their heads above the water as they drifted away from the shore. They had let the tides take them away from the shore before. Both were strong enough to swim back to shore from a reasonably far distance.
Layne took a deep breath, and exhaled and closed his eyes. "Autumn, do you think we'll stay together for a long time?"
Autumn looked at him, "If it were up to me, I'd like to stay with you for the rest of my life."
Layne laughed and propelled himself toward her using his tail. "Well, do you think we'll spend the rest of our lives near this town?"
Autumn shrugged. "Why not? The community is welcoming, the food is good, and those new rescue things are kinda cool too."
"Those rescue teams?" Layne asked. "They're kinda cool, I guess."
"You seem somewhat doubting. What's wrong?"
"I don't know. Some of those teams I've heard of don't do anything for you unless your pockets are loaded. It just raises a flag in my mind that they won't do anything unless you just dump gold coins into their outstretched hands."
"Layne, not all rescue teams are like that."
"Still a fair amount of them are."
"Then don't ask for help from those teams."
"I won't have to ask help from them at all."
"Why are you joining one?"
"Heck no. I don't have a reason to even ask for help in the first place."
"Lane, you're so silly sometimes."
Layne sighed. It was then that the wind began to pick up. He opened his eyes and turned toward the land. From behind the cliff where he lived, dark clouds were rolling in. Autumn turned and looked in his direction. She saw them too.
Layne tilted his head in confusion, "Where did those come from? Those weren't anywhere in sight all afternoon."
"Perhaps we should go back."
Layne looked at the clouds. Above his head, though no clouds were present, rain was beginning to fall. The clouds seemed endless, and were moving, very fast. Faster than any normal storm. "You ever seen clouds move that fast?"
"Which is why we should go back, Layne. Let's go."
The wind picked up again. The rain picked up. Layne was startled. The storm was picking up so fast, and though the land was visible, they were still very far from land. "Layne!"
Layne looked to Autumn, and propelled himself to her, "Sorry, we're going."
The two began to propel through the now churning water. But they hadn't been swimming five minutes, when lightning began t flash, and the waves began to grow around them in size, and they could barely go anywhere. They were ket afloat by the inner tubes, but with the growing waves, and the darkening sky, the land was no longer visible.
Layne and Autumn had been in this situation before, but they had never been in a storm this sudden and this unusual before.
"Layne! I'm scared!"
Layne gripped Autumn tightly. "I'm right here, Autumn. We'll get through this, just like we've gotten through other storms."
Autumn gave a sorrowful laugh. "We never learn, do we...?"
"Come on, Autumn, don't think like that, we'll get back to my cave in ten minutes, sit around the fire, and laugh it off like we always do."
It was then that Autumn's eyes widened. Layne turned around. In the sky he caught a glimpse of something strange. He didn't know if it was a pokémon or not, but in the second he saw it, it vanished. "What do you think that was?"
"Layne! Behind you!!"
Layne turned around. A wave, unlike anything he had ever seen was heading their ways. He gripped Autumn tighter, and said, "Hold on!"
The wave overcame them. The vortex and currents of the water were unlike anything he had ever faced before. Autumn was starting to struggle. Layne fought to keep a hold of her. He couldn't see very well under the water, which was rushing by his eyes. He felt his back his the sand below, which prompted him to accidentally let loose some of the air he was holding. He was finally beginning to wonder if this would be the end for him. Had he and Autumn never learned?
The current grew. Layne fought hard to hold onto Autumn, but suddenly, he lost her. His eyes widened in fear and shock. Autumn was not in his grip! She was being swept away from him fast! He barely saw her body drift away, struggling. Layne focused his mind, and straightened out. He propelled himself as hard as he could through the rushing water in her direction. He had to find her!
He couldn't find her! It was then, he realized, he was about out of air. Layne looked up, strangely, he wasn't that far from the surface, and he propelled himself to the surface. Upon breaking the surface, he exhaled the stale air from his lungs, and withdrew another big gasp of air. He submerged himself again, completely deflating his air collar. He couldn't see Autumn anywhere. And the rushing currents below him were making it too dangerous for him to even continue.
Layne fought with his mind and spirit and will at the same time. He didn't want to leave her. But being here at the same time was being too reckless, and he needed help finding her. He surfaced. He inflated his air sac, and floated amongst the waves for a moment. He tried calling her name. "AUTUMN!"
He called again, and a third time. He heard nothing over the wind, and it wasn't likely she would either.
Layne propelled himself through the water toward land, which was once again in his sight. He propelled faster than before. Upon arriving on the beach, he ran toward the town, not stopping for one breath.
"HELP! I NEED HELP, RIGHT NOW!"
*************
"HELP!" Layne shouted as he sat upright fast. He was sweating. The morning sun was already high in the sky, which meant he had missed the cawing of that useless Murkrow or whatever sounded the damn call.
Layne rubbed his head, and rubbed his eyes, as in his sleep, he had shed a few tears, apparently. It had been a while since he had relived that nightmare in his sleep. That reality. That awful day.
It had been three years. Three years since that day. That day, which had started like every other day. Yet ended so horrible...
Layne sat up. He affixed his goggles onto his head. He had gotten them about a year after that day. He wore them almost everywhere now. Mainly on his forehead, but underwater, he wore them over his eyes. With them on, he saw almost everything.
If only he had thought to purchase them before. Then he maybe would have been able to save her!
Layne shook away that thought, and popped his neck. He exited his cave and climbed the short cliff which overlooked the ocean. He offered a small smile. He walked over to a nearby apple tree, and spat some water from his mouth at an apple above. He rarely used Water Gun anymore, ever since he learned Water Pulse, but he was thankful he still had the ability to conjure water from h is mouth in the small amounts he did.
An apple fell from the tree, and Layne caught it. He walked over to the cliff's edge, and sat down as he usually did, and just watched the ocean. He bit into his apple. This was how Layne started everyday....
((I guarantee that my posts won't be this long every time. apologies lol)
