delongbi
I C U
- 161
- Posts
- 16
- Years
- Age 32
- Possibly in a tree
- Seen Oct 1, 2015
Chapter 42: (Act 3) Time
"So the search of Seth Hasting's mansion was a total waste of time. Didn't find a scrap of evidence," Sparky said, waving his hands on my computer screen. "Nai, are you even listening?"
I scrolled through the homeownership records, pondering what I was seeing.
"Sparky," I said. "Professor Blubber recounted that Hastings moved to Cape Caution in 2005. He moved from Celadon City where he had been studying. Less than a year later, Hastings bought the mansion. Is this correct?"
"Yup. We have records from his professors at Celadon City."
I scrolled up again. "According to these homeownership records, Hastings also bought a house in Winsk City in 2003. I have a vivid memory of him moving in, and I never remember him leaving for long periods of time to travel to Celadon City. In fact, he rarely left his house."
"Uhh…"
I frowned. "Something's not right."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
<Liam Mendol, would you like the opportunity of a lifetime? Would you like to travel back in time and save your cousin?>
"Yes," I said. No hesitation, no angry refusal at receiving aid from a legendary Pokemon, and certainly no emotion.
My heart thudded loudly in my chest as Celebi smiled slowly. My gut suddenly twisted, my vision blurred, and I was acutely aware of every inch of my skin—the way my clothes rustled against my skin, the smoothness of Sticky's Pokeball in my right hand still slightly outstretched, the cool breeze against my neck—
My vision cleared. I was standing on a beach, facing Slateport City with the ocean breeze against my back. Slateport's old fountain stood a couple hundred meters in front of me, and beyond the fountain loomed the old shipyard.
I had to be in the past. In recent years, both the fountain and the shipyard had been torn down.
I noted Celebi was nowhere to be found.
Behind me, I heard muttering. "Stupid Liam… thinking Kyogre's better and leaving… what a wussy-pants…"
I spun around.
A boy with tousled black hair marched across the shoreline, muttering to himself. He was wearing a green t-shirt several sizes to big for him and swim trunks covered in little Minuns. I remember I'd had a pair covered in Plusles.
"Landon!"
When he heard his name, the boy stopped marching to face me. Time had blurred my memory. The Landon I remembered had pale skin, clean nails, and bright green eyes—a mirror image of myself. This boy was covered in sand, his cheeks burnt from the sun. The eyes were the same, though.
Behind Landon, the tide appeared to be receding. The ocean's horizon rose, as if the world was tilting. A few places along the horizon the giant wave had already broken; I could tell just how close the tsunami was by how fast the white foam approached.
We had seconds, a minute at most.
I released my Honchkrow and grabbed Landon around the waist, pulling him with me onto the bird. Landon struggled in my arms, making it difficult for Honchkrow to take off. "Help! Get off of me you kidnapping piece of Houndoom poo—"
I caught Landon's hands behind his back and pulled lightly, effectively quieting the boy. "See that wave? In less than a minute it's going to hit the beach and then Slateport, killing thousands of people and Pokemon and leaving thousands more homeless. I'm saving your life."
Honchkrow took off. I shielded Landon's eyes from the sand kicked up by Honchkrow's flapping wings. Landon started to squirm again. "Who are you? Let me down—they're still on the beach! Liam and my uncle—"
"Will be fine," I finished. Honchkrow's flight faltered as he struggled to keep us airborne with Landon twisting around. I didn't have time to deal with this.
I released Sticky, who transformed into a Noctowl while plummeting towards the sand. "Honchkrow, keep Landon out of the way," I ordered, leaping off of Honchkrow. Sticky caught me, gliding out of a dive. Over my shoulder I called, "I'll meet you above the harbor. Stay in the air."
Honchkrow honked in understanding as I directed Sticky into the city.
Despite the chill in the air, the market was lively. It was strange to see everyone bustling about, oblivious to the inevitable devastation mere seconds away. I scanned the row of shops beyond the market, my eyes landing on a store called The Submerged Swamp.
Only once we'd landed did I realize I could've called out a warning to the people in the market. No changing that now. I shoved through the double doors of The Submerged Swamp not daring to check how far away the tsunami was.
I pushed past a woman examining silverware and ran down an aisle of cleaning supplies, searching over the short, cluttered shelves for that braid of black hair—
A short blonde girl wearing a white dress blocked my way as I turned the corner of the aisle. I didn't recognize her until her hand turned pink and elongated to point out the window. "Liam, we leave now. Big wave here, crush, dead—"
"Out of my way, Sticky." I stepped around the Ditto, spotting a staircase leading to the basement. A sharp memory flashed across my mind.
"Let me show you the vases we have in the basement," I heard the store manager say.
That's where they'd be.
I leapt down the steps two at the time. Halfway down, I paused to scan the room. "Mom?"
A woman turned to look at me. She had small wrinkles at the corners of her grey eyes. Her hair hung in a long dark braid down her back. She was shorter than I remembered.
"Velkan?"
Suddenly, I was flung downwards, my head spinning as my back hit a wall. For a moment, I thought I was back in the nightmares I had when I was younger about my grandfather's Alakazam flinging me about psychically. Then I realized my clothes were wet.
I was sitting on a pile of broken ceramic bowls, a steady flow of water pouring over my legs from the staircase I'd just fallen down. The ceiling cracked. Something slimy wrapped around my ankle.
Wouldn't it be ironic if I saved Landon only to die here? I nearly chuckled as I craned my head around to get one last look at my mother's face before the ceiling caved in. The world seemed to darken as my eyes roamed the room, and before I could locate the dark braid, my consciousness slipped away, taking with it any chance I had of saving my mother.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
When I woke up shivering on a viscid surface, my first thought was that Anita was playing some absurdly immature prank on me.
My second thought was one of relief: I was no longer trapped in a nightmare where I'd failed to save my mother.
My third thought was an acknowledgement of my surroundings, accompanied by a wave of utter despair at the realization that I had not, in fact, been dreaming. I was sitting on a Tentecruel, floating in the middle of the ocean; there was no land in sight. Above me, my Honchkrow flew in circles with a small dark figure on his back, a shadow against the clear blue sky.
The sun beat down on my stinging face. I could tell from the way it hurt to grimace that I was sunburnt.
I shakily got to my feet. My clothes were damp and heavy, clinging to my skin as if I'd had a fever. "Sticky, what happened?" I asked the Tentecruel.
Sticky could only answer with bubbles. Of course, I already knew the answer. I'd felt a tickling around my ankle just before I fell unconscious. Sticky's tentacle. Sticky had saved me before I drowned and left my mother and aunt to die. From the lack of land in sight, we were at least a day out from Slateport City, well into the Southern Sea if Sticky was heading back towards Acceber.
I needed to hear it. I put two fingers in my mouth and whistled. Honchkrow dove and neatly landed above Sticky's red orbs next to me. Landon was sleeping on the Honchkrow's back, clutching his feathers tightly. I climbed behind Landon, careful not to jostle him.
"Honchkrow, you're going to have to carry both of us for a few minutes." Honchkrow nodded and took off. He'd be able to transport both of us for forty-three minutes if my calculations of his endurance were correct.
Honchkrow hovered steadily over the water while Sticky reverted back into her amorphous body and then seamlessly transformed into a blonde human girl. A blonde girl who, unfortunately, didn't know how to swim.
"Pick her up," I said irritably as Sticky floundered. This would significantly lessen how much time Honchkrow could carry us. Honchkrow circled, gaining momentum, and then swooped, picking Sticky up in his talons.
"We have ten minutes before Honchkrow's endurance fails. Start talking," I said, peering over Honchkrow's wings. Sticky's wet, blonde hair was caught in Honchkrow's talons, but she didn't seem to notice. She clung to Honchkrow's legs, watching the ocean with mild curiosity. When Honchkrow swooped to catch an air current, she giggled.
"Sticky."
"Sorry. Never swam and flew as a person." As Sticky turned to face me, her wet t-shirt expanded into a large windbreaker and her soaked jeans puffed into large sweatpants.
I frowned. Dittos could only transform by reverting to their original form first. Rita Teal had proven it through both experimentation and analysis of the brain. What Sticky was doing should be impossible.
"Right." Sticky nodded at me. "We went into store. I see big wave. Rita sad if you die. I sad if you die. I turn into mighty Tentecruel and save you. Swim, swim, swim. Find Honchkrow and boy. When sun just leaves high point, you wake up."
I had the sudden urge to go back. To see what had happened to the store, to my mother.
Unfortunately, I'd seen it before.
"Do you know who I was looking for in the store, Sticky?" I asked slowly. Patiently, even.
Sticky looked down. "Your mom. You yell for her."
"That's right. Do you know what she looked like?"
"Woman with braid." Sticky turned towards me, but wouldn't make eye contact. She pointed to her eyes, the color of a pine tree in the evening. Her eyes turned two shades darker, a green so dark it was almost black. "Her eyes this color."
"So why didn't you save her?" I hated this feeling in my chest. This helpless, worthless—Honchkrow swerved, preventing me from tumbling over his wing.
I clutched Honchkrow's feathers and reminded myself that it was futile to return to Slateport City. My mother was dead.
"S-s-sorry. Couldn't reach anyone but you with limbs. Building going to collapse. No time. Sorry. My fault. Other people dead, too. Had to choose."
If she had the power to change her clothing, she could have elongated a tentacle. She had the power to save my mother. If I hadn't been knocked out…
No, there was no purpose in angering. Regret and sadness were useless. My mother was dead. She's been dead for seven years.
I couldn't tell if the water on Sticky's face was tears or just seawater.
My eyes stung. The wind, surely.
Honchkrow was flapping his wings much faster than he had been before picking up Sticky.
Focus. What to do now. Ideally, Celebi would appear now that I'd saved Landon, and she would take us back to my own time. Then again, ideally, there wouldn't be a tsunami, Slateport City wouldn't be in ruins, and my mother wouldn't be an unrecognizable, bloated corpse.
If Sticky had been out of her Pokeball when Celebi appeared, she could have transformed into Celebi and taken us back in time again.
Focus.
If I was stuck in this time, so be it. I'd need to find an isolated place to live with Landon, somewhere we could live peacefully with no chance of running into anyone we knew. Cianwood, Winsk City, or perhaps somewhere in Unova.
And what would happen if I did run into someone I knew? My uncle, my father, a classmate, myself? I never had in my time…
And thus logically, I never would. I frowned. We were several meters closer to the ocean than we'd been a minute ago.
Focus. I wasn't focusing.
I suddenly wondered what Anita and Erin would do. Where would they go? It was laughable, considering anyone else in my situation. Anita would find another region to challenge gym leaders in, maybe put on a ridiculous disguise. No, Erin was the one with disguises. Erin would do anything from joining the circus to opening a poetry shop. She already had the poetry book she was so protective of…
Poetry.
Abruptly, my mind shuffled several pieces of information into place. I recalled the first page of Erin's poetry book:
There once was a boy who will went,
to greatest unhappiness he was sent.
Never could it be,
if not for me,
the boy's time would be ill spent.
So dear reader you see,
If you happen to be he,
When all rules are bent,
Jump through that vent—
And remember me, I plea!
I blinked. It was absurd. That poem was about me. If you happen to be he… remember me.
The book was Mysteries of Natures. The author was Seth Hastings. Professor Blubber had mentioned that. He'd also mentioned Hastings lived in Winsk City.
It was a start.
"Sticky, transform into a large flying Pokemon—Charizard or Salamance, perhaps." I wasn't sure what Pokemon Sticky had encountered. If I ever met Rita again in this lifetime, I'd make sure she introduced Team Glop'emm's Dittos to every type of Pokemon Team Glop'emm had obtained.
"Haven't but…" Sticky transformed. I noted she reverted back into a Ditto before transforming into a Dragonair. At some point, I'd have to ask about her transformation ability—sometime when I could think about her transformation without remembering my mother's death.
I shook Landon lightly. "Huh? Where—ahhh!" I caught Landon around the waist, before he fell off of Honchkrow in surprise.
"We're relocating. Don't squirm." I picked Landon up and jumped. Sticky neatly caught us on her long, sea-colored back before we hit the water, gliding upwards. I returned Honchkrow to his PokeBall, murmuring thanks. "Sticky, head east, to Acceber."
It'd be three or four days before we reached Acceber, even if Honchkrow and Sticky alternated in carrying us. Finding a place to settle down for the night could be difficult.
Landon turned around, alarmed. "We have to go back! Liam and Uncle Velkan—and I want mom."
I grabbed Landon by the back of his shirt to keep him from sliding off of the Dragonair. Picking him up in the air, I turned him around and sat him back on Sticky now facing me. "Liam and Velkan are fine. Your mother is dead."
"No, she's not!" Landon punched at my legs. "How would you know? You're not like grandpa's Tal or those freaky psychic gym leaders. You can't see anywhere so you don't know."
"Landon—"
"And you're an evil kidnapper even if you didn't try to give me candy. I should've never come with you. My aunt always told me and Liam to—"
"Run away screaming," I finished with Landon.
The boy's eyebrows furrowed. "You kind of look like me."
"Yes."
"And you know what to do if you find a kidnapper. Who… who are you?"
"I'm Liam, from the future."
Landon's eyes widened. "No. You can't be. You… you're way too cool-guy-ish to be Liam. Liam always runs back crying to Aunt Sue when something bad happens."
"Like when you ate my goldfish."
"I did not eat your goldfish. Eliza dared me to put it in my mouth. If you hadn't screamed when you saw the tail sticking out of my mouth, then I wouldn't have accidently crunched it with my teeth. I bought you a new one anyway."
"I remember. You asked Uncle Don what you could do to earn money for a goldfish. He had you take out the trash for a week. The garbage bin was bigger than you were—I laughed when you fell in that one time."
"I got the fish though," Landon said.
"I named it Kyogre."
Landon looked over the sea. "You… you're really Liam."
"Yes."
"And we're not going home."
"Slateport City's in ruins." I wouldn't tell him there were several survivors who would get the city back up and running within the year. No reason to keep him hopeful of returning.
"And my mom… she's…"
"Your mother and Aunt Sue are dead," I said. It was strange watching Landon. When my father told me they were dead, I remember crying for weeks. It took just one look out our window at the water damage or one glimpse of my father's tears to start the waterworks.
Landon's face, however, was dry. His eyes were hard, determined even. "Where are you taking me?" he asked.
"Acceber, where I live now, where we should be able to find someone who can help us."
"We need help?"
I looked at Landon sharply. For a scrawny four-year old he was perceptive. Perhaps more so than I'd been at his age.
"I'd like to return with you to my own time," I said. "However, I don't know if that's possible. Celebi allowed me to come back in time to save you, but hasn't appeared to return us. Perhaps Celebi has something more in store for us, or perhaps I'm to live in this time period from now on. I don't know. We're going to Acceber to find a professor who will hopefully provide us with answers."
"How do you know that professor guy knows anything at all?"
"I don't."
"Sounds like you don't know too much," Landon said stiffly. He turned around to face forward, balancing his body so he wouldn't fall when he moved his leg from one side of the Dragonair to the other. "Guess you are still Liam."
I nearly smiled.
We managed to find an island to sleep on the first two nights of travel, but the third night Sticky and Honchkrow were forced to carry us through the night. As the sun was rising the next morning, we finally spotted a cargo ship trudging its way towards Artemis Town. The captain was kind enough to let us sleep on the deck… after we scrubbed it.
That evening, Landon and I stretched out and relaxed on the highest deck while the crew provided food for all of the ship's Pokemon below the deck, Sticky and Honchkrow included. "My arms and knees hurt," Landon complained, lying down beside me.
I put my hands behind my head, watching the cloudless sky. "You'll get over it. Your future surely contains far worse suffering." I was just glad to not be feeling seasick.
"I liked you better when you weren't such a pesim-pesi…err…"
"Pessimist."
"That's what I meant! And per-perfectionist. My Liam was happier."
"My Landon was brainle—oops, sorry, you are the Landon I knew." I still marveled at the idea.
Landon turned his head and stuck out his tongue. When he rolled over onto his stomach, he spotted the six PokeBalls on my belt. He jumped to his knees so quickly that I was surprised the momentum didn't flip him onto his back. "You have more Pokemon? I thought it was just Ditto and the bird! What do you have? How'd you catch them? Are they evolved? I wanna hear."
And so for several hours I recounted to Landon how I raised Notal into a Mightyena before I even stepped foot in Acceber, how my Umbreon named herself Bree, and how I found my Spiritomb in the local mall's toilet bowl. Questions led to more questions, and in the following days I found myself telling Landon about my journey through Acceber to destroy Mew, my father's ascension through Team Glop'emm, and my current status as gym leader of Drape Town.
Landon looked at me with eyes full of admiration, and I wondered what all my wanderings and plots meant now that Landon stood before me, alive.
We arrived in Acceber somewhere above Apoosh forest after sunset on our sixth day of travel. I had Sticky fly us beyond the forest, past Drape Town and over the Nutshell River to the base of Hail Mountain to camp out for the night. Harvey Darcleye, the Master of Team Glop'emm in this time, had put much effort into setting up hidden bases in Apoosh forest and niches of Drape Town. Though I knew where each base was located and was very capable of avoiding every one, it was likely that the surrounding area was monitored. Were a lone teenager and a four-year-old boy to be spotted, Team Glop'emm would not hesitate to attempt a Pokemon robbery.
If I ever caught grunts that didn't attempt that type of robbery, I'd permanently dismiss them from fieldwork.
The campsite I chose was a clearing in the midst of a large cluster of apple trees. As our food supply was running low, we ate apples for dinner. I had a new shrinkable set of pans Anita had bought me as a "sorry for dumping your stuff in the ocean" gift while we were shopping in Artemis Town. Sticky transformed into a Charmander and we had baked apples for dessert.
I watched Landon eat his second apple as we sat around Sticky, waiting for the baked apples to cook. "What?" he asked between bites. An apple peel fleck stuck to his nose when he took another bite.
I shrugged.
Landon took another bite of the apple, looked away, and then glanced at me again. His green eyes contrasted sharply with the red apple. "What? Why are you staring?"
"For ten years, you were dead to me." I reached out and brushed the apple fleck Landon's nose. Landon scrunched his nose in distaste. "And now, despite our age difference, despite everything that's happened to us, I still feel we're… connected. It's just strange. Strange that you're here and I can just talk to you."
"Well, I just went to the playground with you last week. You could talk to me then, too."
Yes, but for me that was ten years ago. Talking to anyone else, I would have smiled and shook my head. But not with Landon. "You're awfully insightful for a four-year-old."
"Well, even though you're better at numbers and school stuff, grandpa always called me the 'emotionally smart one.' Cuz I'm good at emotions and stuff."
The sweet smell of apples wafted through the air. "The apples are ready. Let's have some."
That night, I slept easier than I ever had since the day I discovered Landon had died.
I felt oddly fulfilled when I woke up the next morning, though I didn't remember my dreams. The sun hadn't risen, but that was typical. I rarely woke up after six.
I carefully climbed out of my sleeping bag, careful not to budge Landon, who had curled up next to me.
"Honch." Honchkrow was perched overhead, watching over our campsite.
I nodded to the bird. "Thank you for watching through the night. You can go find breakfast. Find Landon something, too." As Honchkrow flapped away, I pulled out two PokeBalls. It'd been too long. There were twin flashes of red.
Notal, my Mightyena, and Bree, my Umbreon, appeared.
"Notal, protect Landon. Bree and I are going to train." Notal's nose flared. She growled challengingly.
"Yes, this is actually Landon. Celebi's brought us back in time, and if you want the details, ask Honchkrow when he brings back breakfast." Notal growled again. Beside her, Bree rolled her red eyes, turned tail, and walked away from camp. "Don't give me that," I said to the Notal. "A few weeks in your PokeBall hasn't killed you. When you chose to come with me instead of staying in Drape Town, I warned you that we'd have to be careful. If someone were to recognize you or any of the others as my Pokemon, I would have been identified. Even Anita would realize I was Drape Town's gym leader if she noticed that all of my Pokemon were dark-typed. And if just one person found me… Acceber's gym leaders and gym challengers would impede my ability to track Mew."
Notal begrudgingly sad down next to Landon.
I turned and followed Bree past the apple trees.
When we a quarter of a mile away, far enough away to avoid waking Landon, I stopped walking. Bree turned around, her rings glittering gold in the dark, illuminating the nearby brush.
In a flash, she disappeared in a Faint Attack.
I tensed my legs and turned thirty degrees to my left. As Bree hit me, I crouched, rolled backwards onto my back, and inflicted a two-legged kick to Bree's stomach, sending her flying through the air into the brush. The momentum of Bree's attack kept me rolling in a backwards summersault. I landed with the tips of my shoes buried in the soft soil, my chest held aloft from the ground by my arms, angled in preparation for Bree's next attack.
Bree didn't disappoint. I had a second to prepare for her quick attack.
Using my arms and legs to push off the ground, I jumped over her, but Bree changed tactics mid-attack. She gazed at me with red, hypnotic eyes.
I only registered her Confuse Ray attack for a moment.
Landon pulled on my sleeve. My clothes were dripping wet. "Liam, Liam, look! They're dying Liam."
I looked. My mother and aunt lied on the damp ground, their faces pale and hair wet.
"Do something, Liam!" But I could only watch as my mother's body deflated like an air mattress. Her mouth moved but I couldn't hear the words. "Liam, you're useless!" Landon cried. He punched my shins over and over—
Bree knocked me over. When she bared her teeth, I knew she was going in for a Bite attack. I thrust my left arm in front of me. Bree took the bait and snapped at my arm. I rolled, intending to punch her with my right fist—
Anita sat on a stool, her eyes glowing purple. She leaned forward and smirked at me, her hands gripping the top of the stool. "Of course, I'll tell you everything about Mew, Liam. I have nothing to hide."
"I'm listening," I said.
Anita's grin grew wider. "You're a smart boy. I thought you'd have figured it out by now." Something wrapped around my ankle. Sticky's tentacle, I thought, but when I looked down, it was Mew's tail. I looked to see where the tail led—
Bree sat beside me, looking at the sky. The sun was already rising. Damn Confuse Ray.
I rubbed my head and got to my feet. "I'm out of shape. Need a better sparring partner than Anita, I imagine."
"Umbre," Bree agreed. We walked back to camp in silence.
As we neared the cluster of apple trees, I heard Landon yell, "Buster, use Ember!"
Bree and I broke into a run. Bree, of course, reached the clearing before me. I knew Landon's actions couldn't be too deplorable because she simply stood by an apple tree, unmoving.
I reached the clearing.
Landon's Hondour was battling Notal. Notal easily dodged Buster's fire and closed in, biting down on Buster's leg. Notal leapt away as Buster spurted flames wildly.
Buster stumbled forward and swayed unsteadily. This was over. Notal had a nasty Poison Fang.
"Buster!" Landon yelled as the Houndour collapsed. He ran to his Pokemon.
I returned Notal and Bree to their PokeBalls. "Landon, return Buster."
"He's hurt! I need a potion."
"No, he needs an antidote. I don't have one and leaving a poisoned Pokemon out of its PokeBall only increases the rate of affliction," I said. I frowned. "Why were you battling Notal?"
Landon was bent over Buster, cradling his head. He patted his pocket. "I… I don't know where Buster's PokeBall…"
I spotted a PokeBall in the grass where Landon had been standing. I swiftly crossed the clearing, picked up the PokeBall, and returned Buster.
"What were you doing?"
"I recognized Notal. She used to sit like that by you whenever Tal was around. Buster used to always beat her so I thought we'd battle and it'd be close since she's older…"
"That was incredibly unintelligent. We're low on food and the closest Pokemon Center is over fifty miles away. Notal's had ten years to improve; Buster didn't stand a chance."
Landon's face flushed. "Well Notal didn't have to attack so hard!"
"She didn't." I pulled out Sticky's PokeBall and released the Ditto. "I need to talk to you," I said to Sticky. I glanced at Landon. He looked pitiful, still sitting on the ground with his fists clenched and staring at his feet determinedly. "Landon, gather some apples for later."
Landon complied, muttering to himself while he got up. When I turned back to Sticky, she was already transformed into a blonde girl. "First of all, Sticky, can you transform into Scarmory or Charizard?"
"No. Never seen. Why?"
"We need to reach the top of Hail Mountain. Hail Mountain is notorious for its hail and snow storms. It will be difficult to fly through this weather on a typical flying Pokemon—Charizard or Scarmory are the best options."
"Dragonair change weather. No hail," Sticky replied.
"The cold will still be harmful to you. In addition, several ice Pokemon live within the caves and forests spread over the mountain. If you were to be hit by a single Ice Beam, you'd probably faint."
Sticky tugged at her ponytail. "Will have to do."
"I had a thought. Before, over the sea, you were able to change your clothing without morphing back into a Ditto," I said. You could have changed the length of your tentacles to save my mother. I looked past Sticky's shoulder, unwilling to meet her eyes.
"Yes. Small clothing change easy. Know material. Rita teach me properties."
"So theoretically, could you change into a whole different Pokemon without transforming back into a Ditto?"
"No, don't know properties. Have to rely on transform memory." She had to be referring to the memory stored in a Ditto's brain, replacing the area of the brain typically devoted to evolution. The complete memory of all encountered Pokemon would only exist when she was a Ditto.
I nodded. "And Rita tells me that you created that body for yourself. How?"
"Imagine. Combine transform memory."
"Then can you imagine a Pokemon with different typing? For instance, a Dragonair that's a partial fire type and thus resistant to ice?"
"Never try. When transformed, don't know... properties."
"Humans have different properties, though, and you were able to pick and choose which properties you wanted to have in this form."
"Human one species. Pokemon several."
I sighed. Given more time and Rita's equipment, perhaps I could come up with a series of experiments to test exactly what Sticky was capable of. However, under these circumstances, it was most important to meet with Seth Hastings. If Sticky proved unable to take us all the way to the top of Hail Mountain, I had my own Pokemon I could rely on.
"Alright, Sticky, transform into Dragonair. We're leaving." I turned to find Landon, but Sticky sidestepped in front of me.
"Mr. Master, we go home soon, right? I miss Rita. Want to help."
"You are helping, Sticky. I don't know about seeing Rita, though. We could be stuck in this time." I moved past the girl, scanning the apple trees. Landon was in the largest tree, closest to Hail Mountain's steepening slope.
What would happen if I contacted the Rita of this time? She didn't know my father yet. In fact, she might not even be working for Team Glop'emm. It was sometime this year that she would join. Until I understood exactly how the time stream worked, exactly how my actions would influence the future, perhaps it was best to have as little contact as possible with people from this time.
"Landon, ready to go?" I called as I reached the large apple tree. Landon, leapt out of the tree, landing beside me. He held four apples in his arms and gathered up the few he'd plucked from high branches and dropped to the ground. He didn't look at me.
We walked back to our camp area and packed everything into my bag in silence. When Honchkrow cawed overhead, I returned him to his PokeBall.
"Landon, I apologize. I was a little harsh before," I finally said. "We should reach Winsk City on top of Hail Mountain before dark tonight, and we can take Buster to the Pokemon Center." I unclipped Buster's PokeBall from my belt and offered it to Landon.
He took the PokeBall and pocketed it. We climbed atop Sticky and took off.
Two hours later, the air was much colder and it was more difficult to breathe. Though the morning had begun sunny and cloudless, Sticky had created thick overhead clouds in an attempt to keep some of the warmth in the atmosphere. It wasn't having much of an effect. I'd had to unshrink the sleeping bags and wrapped them around Landon and me to stay warm.
Sticky pushed through the thin, cold air with more endurance than I'd credited her with.
By mid-afternoon, we were flying past cliffs made entirely of ice. Scaling Hail Mountain was one of the most challenging climbs in the world and by far the most challenging in Acceber. Nai Shivicle, the gym leader of Winsk City, rarely received gym challenges simply because it was so difficult to reach the top of the mountain.
When we took a brief break on a ledge made entirely of ice, Landon huddled in my large green sleeping bag and asked, "When we meet the Hastings man, you're not going to leave me, are you?"
Sticky munched on a few apples I tossed to her. "Where else would I go?"
Landon just looked at me.
"No, I'm not going to leave you."
"What if a big monster Pokemon, like Kyogre, takes you away?"
"Kyogre can't climb mountains."
"Fine. Articuno or Lugia."
I bent down so I could see Landon eye to eye. Is cheeks were rosy from the cold. "Landon, if anything separates us, I will come find you."
"Dragonair!" Sticky declared. Whether it was an agreement or an indication that she was done eating, I couldn't say. We climbed back on her back and continued up the mountain.
With Sticky's ability to hold the weather at bay, the biggest challenge we encountered was a group of wild Glalies trying to shoot Sticky down with Ice Beam. Sticky paralyzed them with a weak electric shock from her horn, allowing us to escape unscathed.
The Pokemon Center was closed for the evening when we reached Winsk City. This was one of the few towns, I reflected, in which the Pokemon Center could afford to close at all.
Landon held my arm tightly as we made our way to the nearest house; the ground was completely coated in ice. We knocked on the door and asked directions to Seth Hasting's house. It was two more attempts before a man recognized the name as "the Professor who just moved here" and pointed us to the hut on the outskirts of the town.
The hut was small and slightly decrepit. A large portion of the gutter was hanging loosely, weighed down by the snow, and icicles hung from the roof around the hut's windows. Smoke rose from the chimney slowly, as if it was an effort to keep the smoke rising.
I knocked on the door as Sticky transformed into her human form, this time wearing a thick fur coat.
A man wearing a maroon bathrobe and large, round bifocal glasses answered the door. He had dark bags under his eyes, and his eyes were bloodshot, as if he'd been crying.
"Seth Hastings?"
"Come in, it's cold out. And please, call me Bert."
As we entered, Bert peered over my shoulder. "Ah, and this must be Landon."
I stopped walking and stepped in front of Landon. "How do you—"
In front of me, by the living room hearth, fluttered Celebi. Landon gripped my arm tighter. "It's Celebi," he whispered.
I scanned the room. To my left there was a desk cluttered with papers. I spotted a paper that read, There once was a boy who will went. The walls of the room were made of wood. There were no paintings or photos hanging up. Across the room, there were two doors. One door was closed, but the other doorway I could see led to a kitchen. On my right was the living room, complete with a cushioned couch, thick carpet, and a fireplace.
"Why you here?" Sticky asked Celebi, stepping in front of Landon and me.
Celebi looked at me expectantly.
"Landon," I said. "You need to let go of my arm so I can hear what Celebi wants to say."
"You can control whether you can let psychics into your brain?" Landon asked. I frowned at him. This wasn't the time.
Landon scowled and let go of my arm.
I opened my mind.
<I'm here to take you home, of course.>
Dread filled my stomach. I knew where this was leading. To be sure, I asked, "If you are just going to take us back to my time, why drag us all the way to Winsk City?"
<First of all, you're the one who decided to come here. Second of all, who said there was an 'us' involved? I'm only taking you back to your own time. You've accomplished what you came back in time to accomplish, and Professor Hastings here has so kindly agreed to raise Landon in your stead.>
"No," I said.
<You really don't have an option. I'll give you a few minutes to say your goodbyes.>
My head felt like it was spinning. Not again. I couldn't lose Landon again. "Sticky, trans—"
<Do you really want to fight a Pokemon that can time travel? Use that logical brain of yours. Struggle, and I'll pop you back to your own time now and disappear completely from your life. You won't even be able to say goodbye. I'm trying to be nice by offering so don't waste it.>
I turned to Hastings, angry. "You'll take good care of him, you swear?"
The man flinched. "Y-yes. Of course."
"Why did you agree to this?" I asked.
Bert smiled sadly. "I had a son once, too."
Landon tugged at my sleeve. "What's going on, Liam?"
Ignoring him, I turned to Sticky. Whatever happened in the future had already happened. Landon's body had washed ashore four years from now. That meant either Landon would actually die, or…
"Sticky, you're staying here. In four years you need to go back to Slateport City, imagine how Landon's body would look if he had died the day of the Tsunami, transform into his corpse, and allow yourself to be found. You will be buried alive. After you can do as you please. I'm sure you can come up with some Pokemon that can dig out of a coffin. I'll keep your PokeBall so there's no possible way for anyone to catch you. If you find me in the future, I'll return it to you."
"I already knew," Sticky said. A strange reply.
"Liam?" Landon tugged on my sleeve again.
"Already knew what, Sticky?"
"Knew this happen." She stood a little taller, proudly. "I told me."
"Liam!"
I turned to Landon, putting my hands on his shoulders. "Landon, Celebi says she will only take me back to my time."
"No! Stay here! You said you would! You said!" Landon pounded his fists on my chest. I let him.
"This man, Bert, has agreed to take care of you, okay?"
"Don't go! Tell Celebi you're not going!"
"Landon, remember how strong the tsunami was that destroyed Slateport City? The city didn't have a choice in whether the tsunami hit it or not. This is the same way. I don't have a choice. The legendary Pokemon will do what it wants regardless of my decision." I hugged Landon. He was shaking.
"I hate them," he whispered. "I hate legendaries." He pulled away. "I hate you, too. Even if the stupid fairy says you have to go with her, can't you at least try not to?"
There was a fluttering by my ear. I knew Celebi hovered just behind my shoulder. Gripping Landon's shoulders tightly, I leaned over and pressed my lips to the soft mess of Landon's hair. "Try not to get in too much trouble, and take care of Buster."
My gut twisted and vision blurred.
"So the search of Seth Hasting's mansion was a total waste of time. Didn't find a scrap of evidence," Sparky said, waving his hands on my computer screen. "Nai, are you even listening?"
I scrolled through the homeownership records, pondering what I was seeing.
"Sparky," I said. "Professor Blubber recounted that Hastings moved to Cape Caution in 2005. He moved from Celadon City where he had been studying. Less than a year later, Hastings bought the mansion. Is this correct?"
"Yup. We have records from his professors at Celadon City."
I scrolled up again. "According to these homeownership records, Hastings also bought a house in Winsk City in 2003. I have a vivid memory of him moving in, and I never remember him leaving for long periods of time to travel to Celadon City. In fact, he rarely left his house."
"Uhh…"
I frowned. "Something's not right."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
<Liam Mendol, would you like the opportunity of a lifetime? Would you like to travel back in time and save your cousin?>
"Yes," I said. No hesitation, no angry refusal at receiving aid from a legendary Pokemon, and certainly no emotion.
My heart thudded loudly in my chest as Celebi smiled slowly. My gut suddenly twisted, my vision blurred, and I was acutely aware of every inch of my skin—the way my clothes rustled against my skin, the smoothness of Sticky's Pokeball in my right hand still slightly outstretched, the cool breeze against my neck—
My vision cleared. I was standing on a beach, facing Slateport City with the ocean breeze against my back. Slateport's old fountain stood a couple hundred meters in front of me, and beyond the fountain loomed the old shipyard.
I had to be in the past. In recent years, both the fountain and the shipyard had been torn down.
I noted Celebi was nowhere to be found.
Behind me, I heard muttering. "Stupid Liam… thinking Kyogre's better and leaving… what a wussy-pants…"
I spun around.
A boy with tousled black hair marched across the shoreline, muttering to himself. He was wearing a green t-shirt several sizes to big for him and swim trunks covered in little Minuns. I remember I'd had a pair covered in Plusles.
"Landon!"
When he heard his name, the boy stopped marching to face me. Time had blurred my memory. The Landon I remembered had pale skin, clean nails, and bright green eyes—a mirror image of myself. This boy was covered in sand, his cheeks burnt from the sun. The eyes were the same, though.
Behind Landon, the tide appeared to be receding. The ocean's horizon rose, as if the world was tilting. A few places along the horizon the giant wave had already broken; I could tell just how close the tsunami was by how fast the white foam approached.
We had seconds, a minute at most.
I released my Honchkrow and grabbed Landon around the waist, pulling him with me onto the bird. Landon struggled in my arms, making it difficult for Honchkrow to take off. "Help! Get off of me you kidnapping piece of Houndoom poo—"
I caught Landon's hands behind his back and pulled lightly, effectively quieting the boy. "See that wave? In less than a minute it's going to hit the beach and then Slateport, killing thousands of people and Pokemon and leaving thousands more homeless. I'm saving your life."
Honchkrow took off. I shielded Landon's eyes from the sand kicked up by Honchkrow's flapping wings. Landon started to squirm again. "Who are you? Let me down—they're still on the beach! Liam and my uncle—"
"Will be fine," I finished. Honchkrow's flight faltered as he struggled to keep us airborne with Landon twisting around. I didn't have time to deal with this.
I released Sticky, who transformed into a Noctowl while plummeting towards the sand. "Honchkrow, keep Landon out of the way," I ordered, leaping off of Honchkrow. Sticky caught me, gliding out of a dive. Over my shoulder I called, "I'll meet you above the harbor. Stay in the air."
Honchkrow honked in understanding as I directed Sticky into the city.
Despite the chill in the air, the market was lively. It was strange to see everyone bustling about, oblivious to the inevitable devastation mere seconds away. I scanned the row of shops beyond the market, my eyes landing on a store called The Submerged Swamp.
Only once we'd landed did I realize I could've called out a warning to the people in the market. No changing that now. I shoved through the double doors of The Submerged Swamp not daring to check how far away the tsunami was.
I pushed past a woman examining silverware and ran down an aisle of cleaning supplies, searching over the short, cluttered shelves for that braid of black hair—
A short blonde girl wearing a white dress blocked my way as I turned the corner of the aisle. I didn't recognize her until her hand turned pink and elongated to point out the window. "Liam, we leave now. Big wave here, crush, dead—"
"Out of my way, Sticky." I stepped around the Ditto, spotting a staircase leading to the basement. A sharp memory flashed across my mind.
"Let me show you the vases we have in the basement," I heard the store manager say.
That's where they'd be.
I leapt down the steps two at the time. Halfway down, I paused to scan the room. "Mom?"
A woman turned to look at me. She had small wrinkles at the corners of her grey eyes. Her hair hung in a long dark braid down her back. She was shorter than I remembered.
"Velkan?"
Suddenly, I was flung downwards, my head spinning as my back hit a wall. For a moment, I thought I was back in the nightmares I had when I was younger about my grandfather's Alakazam flinging me about psychically. Then I realized my clothes were wet.
I was sitting on a pile of broken ceramic bowls, a steady flow of water pouring over my legs from the staircase I'd just fallen down. The ceiling cracked. Something slimy wrapped around my ankle.
Wouldn't it be ironic if I saved Landon only to die here? I nearly chuckled as I craned my head around to get one last look at my mother's face before the ceiling caved in. The world seemed to darken as my eyes roamed the room, and before I could locate the dark braid, my consciousness slipped away, taking with it any chance I had of saving my mother.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
When I woke up shivering on a viscid surface, my first thought was that Anita was playing some absurdly immature prank on me.
My second thought was one of relief: I was no longer trapped in a nightmare where I'd failed to save my mother.
My third thought was an acknowledgement of my surroundings, accompanied by a wave of utter despair at the realization that I had not, in fact, been dreaming. I was sitting on a Tentecruel, floating in the middle of the ocean; there was no land in sight. Above me, my Honchkrow flew in circles with a small dark figure on his back, a shadow against the clear blue sky.
The sun beat down on my stinging face. I could tell from the way it hurt to grimace that I was sunburnt.
I shakily got to my feet. My clothes were damp and heavy, clinging to my skin as if I'd had a fever. "Sticky, what happened?" I asked the Tentecruel.
Sticky could only answer with bubbles. Of course, I already knew the answer. I'd felt a tickling around my ankle just before I fell unconscious. Sticky's tentacle. Sticky had saved me before I drowned and left my mother and aunt to die. From the lack of land in sight, we were at least a day out from Slateport City, well into the Southern Sea if Sticky was heading back towards Acceber.
I needed to hear it. I put two fingers in my mouth and whistled. Honchkrow dove and neatly landed above Sticky's red orbs next to me. Landon was sleeping on the Honchkrow's back, clutching his feathers tightly. I climbed behind Landon, careful not to jostle him.
"Honchkrow, you're going to have to carry both of us for a few minutes." Honchkrow nodded and took off. He'd be able to transport both of us for forty-three minutes if my calculations of his endurance were correct.
Honchkrow hovered steadily over the water while Sticky reverted back into her amorphous body and then seamlessly transformed into a blonde human girl. A blonde girl who, unfortunately, didn't know how to swim.
"Pick her up," I said irritably as Sticky floundered. This would significantly lessen how much time Honchkrow could carry us. Honchkrow circled, gaining momentum, and then swooped, picking Sticky up in his talons.
"We have ten minutes before Honchkrow's endurance fails. Start talking," I said, peering over Honchkrow's wings. Sticky's wet, blonde hair was caught in Honchkrow's talons, but she didn't seem to notice. She clung to Honchkrow's legs, watching the ocean with mild curiosity. When Honchkrow swooped to catch an air current, she giggled.
"Sticky."
"Sorry. Never swam and flew as a person." As Sticky turned to face me, her wet t-shirt expanded into a large windbreaker and her soaked jeans puffed into large sweatpants.
I frowned. Dittos could only transform by reverting to their original form first. Rita Teal had proven it through both experimentation and analysis of the brain. What Sticky was doing should be impossible.
"Right." Sticky nodded at me. "We went into store. I see big wave. Rita sad if you die. I sad if you die. I turn into mighty Tentecruel and save you. Swim, swim, swim. Find Honchkrow and boy. When sun just leaves high point, you wake up."
I had the sudden urge to go back. To see what had happened to the store, to my mother.
Unfortunately, I'd seen it before.
"Do you know who I was looking for in the store, Sticky?" I asked slowly. Patiently, even.
Sticky looked down. "Your mom. You yell for her."
"That's right. Do you know what she looked like?"
"Woman with braid." Sticky turned towards me, but wouldn't make eye contact. She pointed to her eyes, the color of a pine tree in the evening. Her eyes turned two shades darker, a green so dark it was almost black. "Her eyes this color."
"So why didn't you save her?" I hated this feeling in my chest. This helpless, worthless—Honchkrow swerved, preventing me from tumbling over his wing.
I clutched Honchkrow's feathers and reminded myself that it was futile to return to Slateport City. My mother was dead.
"S-s-sorry. Couldn't reach anyone but you with limbs. Building going to collapse. No time. Sorry. My fault. Other people dead, too. Had to choose."
If she had the power to change her clothing, she could have elongated a tentacle. She had the power to save my mother. If I hadn't been knocked out…
No, there was no purpose in angering. Regret and sadness were useless. My mother was dead. She's been dead for seven years.
I couldn't tell if the water on Sticky's face was tears or just seawater.
My eyes stung. The wind, surely.
Honchkrow was flapping his wings much faster than he had been before picking up Sticky.
Focus. What to do now. Ideally, Celebi would appear now that I'd saved Landon, and she would take us back to my own time. Then again, ideally, there wouldn't be a tsunami, Slateport City wouldn't be in ruins, and my mother wouldn't be an unrecognizable, bloated corpse.
If Sticky had been out of her Pokeball when Celebi appeared, she could have transformed into Celebi and taken us back in time again.
Focus.
If I was stuck in this time, so be it. I'd need to find an isolated place to live with Landon, somewhere we could live peacefully with no chance of running into anyone we knew. Cianwood, Winsk City, or perhaps somewhere in Unova.
And what would happen if I did run into someone I knew? My uncle, my father, a classmate, myself? I never had in my time…
And thus logically, I never would. I frowned. We were several meters closer to the ocean than we'd been a minute ago.
Focus. I wasn't focusing.
I suddenly wondered what Anita and Erin would do. Where would they go? It was laughable, considering anyone else in my situation. Anita would find another region to challenge gym leaders in, maybe put on a ridiculous disguise. No, Erin was the one with disguises. Erin would do anything from joining the circus to opening a poetry shop. She already had the poetry book she was so protective of…
Poetry.
Abruptly, my mind shuffled several pieces of information into place. I recalled the first page of Erin's poetry book:
There once was a boy who will went,
to greatest unhappiness he was sent.
Never could it be,
if not for me,
the boy's time would be ill spent.
So dear reader you see,
If you happen to be he,
When all rules are bent,
Jump through that vent—
And remember me, I plea!
I blinked. It was absurd. That poem was about me. If you happen to be he… remember me.
The book was Mysteries of Natures. The author was Seth Hastings. Professor Blubber had mentioned that. He'd also mentioned Hastings lived in Winsk City.
It was a start.
"Sticky, transform into a large flying Pokemon—Charizard or Salamance, perhaps." I wasn't sure what Pokemon Sticky had encountered. If I ever met Rita again in this lifetime, I'd make sure she introduced Team Glop'emm's Dittos to every type of Pokemon Team Glop'emm had obtained.
"Haven't but…" Sticky transformed. I noted she reverted back into a Ditto before transforming into a Dragonair. At some point, I'd have to ask about her transformation ability—sometime when I could think about her transformation without remembering my mother's death.
I shook Landon lightly. "Huh? Where—ahhh!" I caught Landon around the waist, before he fell off of Honchkrow in surprise.
"We're relocating. Don't squirm." I picked Landon up and jumped. Sticky neatly caught us on her long, sea-colored back before we hit the water, gliding upwards. I returned Honchkrow to his PokeBall, murmuring thanks. "Sticky, head east, to Acceber."
It'd be three or four days before we reached Acceber, even if Honchkrow and Sticky alternated in carrying us. Finding a place to settle down for the night could be difficult.
Landon turned around, alarmed. "We have to go back! Liam and Uncle Velkan—and I want mom."
I grabbed Landon by the back of his shirt to keep him from sliding off of the Dragonair. Picking him up in the air, I turned him around and sat him back on Sticky now facing me. "Liam and Velkan are fine. Your mother is dead."
"No, she's not!" Landon punched at my legs. "How would you know? You're not like grandpa's Tal or those freaky psychic gym leaders. You can't see anywhere so you don't know."
"Landon—"
"And you're an evil kidnapper even if you didn't try to give me candy. I should've never come with you. My aunt always told me and Liam to—"
"Run away screaming," I finished with Landon.
The boy's eyebrows furrowed. "You kind of look like me."
"Yes."
"And you know what to do if you find a kidnapper. Who… who are you?"
"I'm Liam, from the future."
Landon's eyes widened. "No. You can't be. You… you're way too cool-guy-ish to be Liam. Liam always runs back crying to Aunt Sue when something bad happens."
"Like when you ate my goldfish."
"I did not eat your goldfish. Eliza dared me to put it in my mouth. If you hadn't screamed when you saw the tail sticking out of my mouth, then I wouldn't have accidently crunched it with my teeth. I bought you a new one anyway."
"I remember. You asked Uncle Don what you could do to earn money for a goldfish. He had you take out the trash for a week. The garbage bin was bigger than you were—I laughed when you fell in that one time."
"I got the fish though," Landon said.
"I named it Kyogre."
Landon looked over the sea. "You… you're really Liam."
"Yes."
"And we're not going home."
"Slateport City's in ruins." I wouldn't tell him there were several survivors who would get the city back up and running within the year. No reason to keep him hopeful of returning.
"And my mom… she's…"
"Your mother and Aunt Sue are dead," I said. It was strange watching Landon. When my father told me they were dead, I remember crying for weeks. It took just one look out our window at the water damage or one glimpse of my father's tears to start the waterworks.
Landon's face, however, was dry. His eyes were hard, determined even. "Where are you taking me?" he asked.
"Acceber, where I live now, where we should be able to find someone who can help us."
"We need help?"
I looked at Landon sharply. For a scrawny four-year old he was perceptive. Perhaps more so than I'd been at his age.
"I'd like to return with you to my own time," I said. "However, I don't know if that's possible. Celebi allowed me to come back in time to save you, but hasn't appeared to return us. Perhaps Celebi has something more in store for us, or perhaps I'm to live in this time period from now on. I don't know. We're going to Acceber to find a professor who will hopefully provide us with answers."
"How do you know that professor guy knows anything at all?"
"I don't."
"Sounds like you don't know too much," Landon said stiffly. He turned around to face forward, balancing his body so he wouldn't fall when he moved his leg from one side of the Dragonair to the other. "Guess you are still Liam."
I nearly smiled.
We managed to find an island to sleep on the first two nights of travel, but the third night Sticky and Honchkrow were forced to carry us through the night. As the sun was rising the next morning, we finally spotted a cargo ship trudging its way towards Artemis Town. The captain was kind enough to let us sleep on the deck… after we scrubbed it.
That evening, Landon and I stretched out and relaxed on the highest deck while the crew provided food for all of the ship's Pokemon below the deck, Sticky and Honchkrow included. "My arms and knees hurt," Landon complained, lying down beside me.
I put my hands behind my head, watching the cloudless sky. "You'll get over it. Your future surely contains far worse suffering." I was just glad to not be feeling seasick.
"I liked you better when you weren't such a pesim-pesi…err…"
"Pessimist."
"That's what I meant! And per-perfectionist. My Liam was happier."
"My Landon was brainle—oops, sorry, you are the Landon I knew." I still marveled at the idea.
Landon turned his head and stuck out his tongue. When he rolled over onto his stomach, he spotted the six PokeBalls on my belt. He jumped to his knees so quickly that I was surprised the momentum didn't flip him onto his back. "You have more Pokemon? I thought it was just Ditto and the bird! What do you have? How'd you catch them? Are they evolved? I wanna hear."
And so for several hours I recounted to Landon how I raised Notal into a Mightyena before I even stepped foot in Acceber, how my Umbreon named herself Bree, and how I found my Spiritomb in the local mall's toilet bowl. Questions led to more questions, and in the following days I found myself telling Landon about my journey through Acceber to destroy Mew, my father's ascension through Team Glop'emm, and my current status as gym leader of Drape Town.
Landon looked at me with eyes full of admiration, and I wondered what all my wanderings and plots meant now that Landon stood before me, alive.
We arrived in Acceber somewhere above Apoosh forest after sunset on our sixth day of travel. I had Sticky fly us beyond the forest, past Drape Town and over the Nutshell River to the base of Hail Mountain to camp out for the night. Harvey Darcleye, the Master of Team Glop'emm in this time, had put much effort into setting up hidden bases in Apoosh forest and niches of Drape Town. Though I knew where each base was located and was very capable of avoiding every one, it was likely that the surrounding area was monitored. Were a lone teenager and a four-year-old boy to be spotted, Team Glop'emm would not hesitate to attempt a Pokemon robbery.
If I ever caught grunts that didn't attempt that type of robbery, I'd permanently dismiss them from fieldwork.
The campsite I chose was a clearing in the midst of a large cluster of apple trees. As our food supply was running low, we ate apples for dinner. I had a new shrinkable set of pans Anita had bought me as a "sorry for dumping your stuff in the ocean" gift while we were shopping in Artemis Town. Sticky transformed into a Charmander and we had baked apples for dessert.
I watched Landon eat his second apple as we sat around Sticky, waiting for the baked apples to cook. "What?" he asked between bites. An apple peel fleck stuck to his nose when he took another bite.
I shrugged.
Landon took another bite of the apple, looked away, and then glanced at me again. His green eyes contrasted sharply with the red apple. "What? Why are you staring?"
"For ten years, you were dead to me." I reached out and brushed the apple fleck Landon's nose. Landon scrunched his nose in distaste. "And now, despite our age difference, despite everything that's happened to us, I still feel we're… connected. It's just strange. Strange that you're here and I can just talk to you."
"Well, I just went to the playground with you last week. You could talk to me then, too."
Yes, but for me that was ten years ago. Talking to anyone else, I would have smiled and shook my head. But not with Landon. "You're awfully insightful for a four-year-old."
"Well, even though you're better at numbers and school stuff, grandpa always called me the 'emotionally smart one.' Cuz I'm good at emotions and stuff."
The sweet smell of apples wafted through the air. "The apples are ready. Let's have some."
That night, I slept easier than I ever had since the day I discovered Landon had died.
I felt oddly fulfilled when I woke up the next morning, though I didn't remember my dreams. The sun hadn't risen, but that was typical. I rarely woke up after six.
I carefully climbed out of my sleeping bag, careful not to budge Landon, who had curled up next to me.
"Honch." Honchkrow was perched overhead, watching over our campsite.
I nodded to the bird. "Thank you for watching through the night. You can go find breakfast. Find Landon something, too." As Honchkrow flapped away, I pulled out two PokeBalls. It'd been too long. There were twin flashes of red.
Notal, my Mightyena, and Bree, my Umbreon, appeared.
"Notal, protect Landon. Bree and I are going to train." Notal's nose flared. She growled challengingly.
"Yes, this is actually Landon. Celebi's brought us back in time, and if you want the details, ask Honchkrow when he brings back breakfast." Notal growled again. Beside her, Bree rolled her red eyes, turned tail, and walked away from camp. "Don't give me that," I said to the Notal. "A few weeks in your PokeBall hasn't killed you. When you chose to come with me instead of staying in Drape Town, I warned you that we'd have to be careful. If someone were to recognize you or any of the others as my Pokemon, I would have been identified. Even Anita would realize I was Drape Town's gym leader if she noticed that all of my Pokemon were dark-typed. And if just one person found me… Acceber's gym leaders and gym challengers would impede my ability to track Mew."
Notal begrudgingly sad down next to Landon.
I turned and followed Bree past the apple trees.
When we a quarter of a mile away, far enough away to avoid waking Landon, I stopped walking. Bree turned around, her rings glittering gold in the dark, illuminating the nearby brush.
In a flash, she disappeared in a Faint Attack.
I tensed my legs and turned thirty degrees to my left. As Bree hit me, I crouched, rolled backwards onto my back, and inflicted a two-legged kick to Bree's stomach, sending her flying through the air into the brush. The momentum of Bree's attack kept me rolling in a backwards summersault. I landed with the tips of my shoes buried in the soft soil, my chest held aloft from the ground by my arms, angled in preparation for Bree's next attack.
Bree didn't disappoint. I had a second to prepare for her quick attack.
Using my arms and legs to push off the ground, I jumped over her, but Bree changed tactics mid-attack. She gazed at me with red, hypnotic eyes.
I only registered her Confuse Ray attack for a moment.
Landon pulled on my sleeve. My clothes were dripping wet. "Liam, Liam, look! They're dying Liam."
I looked. My mother and aunt lied on the damp ground, their faces pale and hair wet.
"Do something, Liam!" But I could only watch as my mother's body deflated like an air mattress. Her mouth moved but I couldn't hear the words. "Liam, you're useless!" Landon cried. He punched my shins over and over—
Bree knocked me over. When she bared her teeth, I knew she was going in for a Bite attack. I thrust my left arm in front of me. Bree took the bait and snapped at my arm. I rolled, intending to punch her with my right fist—
Anita sat on a stool, her eyes glowing purple. She leaned forward and smirked at me, her hands gripping the top of the stool. "Of course, I'll tell you everything about Mew, Liam. I have nothing to hide."
"I'm listening," I said.
Anita's grin grew wider. "You're a smart boy. I thought you'd have figured it out by now." Something wrapped around my ankle. Sticky's tentacle, I thought, but when I looked down, it was Mew's tail. I looked to see where the tail led—
Bree sat beside me, looking at the sky. The sun was already rising. Damn Confuse Ray.
I rubbed my head and got to my feet. "I'm out of shape. Need a better sparring partner than Anita, I imagine."
"Umbre," Bree agreed. We walked back to camp in silence.
As we neared the cluster of apple trees, I heard Landon yell, "Buster, use Ember!"
Bree and I broke into a run. Bree, of course, reached the clearing before me. I knew Landon's actions couldn't be too deplorable because she simply stood by an apple tree, unmoving.
I reached the clearing.
Landon's Hondour was battling Notal. Notal easily dodged Buster's fire and closed in, biting down on Buster's leg. Notal leapt away as Buster spurted flames wildly.
Buster stumbled forward and swayed unsteadily. This was over. Notal had a nasty Poison Fang.
"Buster!" Landon yelled as the Houndour collapsed. He ran to his Pokemon.
I returned Notal and Bree to their PokeBalls. "Landon, return Buster."
"He's hurt! I need a potion."
"No, he needs an antidote. I don't have one and leaving a poisoned Pokemon out of its PokeBall only increases the rate of affliction," I said. I frowned. "Why were you battling Notal?"
Landon was bent over Buster, cradling his head. He patted his pocket. "I… I don't know where Buster's PokeBall…"
I spotted a PokeBall in the grass where Landon had been standing. I swiftly crossed the clearing, picked up the PokeBall, and returned Buster.
"What were you doing?"
"I recognized Notal. She used to sit like that by you whenever Tal was around. Buster used to always beat her so I thought we'd battle and it'd be close since she's older…"
"That was incredibly unintelligent. We're low on food and the closest Pokemon Center is over fifty miles away. Notal's had ten years to improve; Buster didn't stand a chance."
Landon's face flushed. "Well Notal didn't have to attack so hard!"
"She didn't." I pulled out Sticky's PokeBall and released the Ditto. "I need to talk to you," I said to Sticky. I glanced at Landon. He looked pitiful, still sitting on the ground with his fists clenched and staring at his feet determinedly. "Landon, gather some apples for later."
Landon complied, muttering to himself while he got up. When I turned back to Sticky, she was already transformed into a blonde girl. "First of all, Sticky, can you transform into Scarmory or Charizard?"
"No. Never seen. Why?"
"We need to reach the top of Hail Mountain. Hail Mountain is notorious for its hail and snow storms. It will be difficult to fly through this weather on a typical flying Pokemon—Charizard or Scarmory are the best options."
"Dragonair change weather. No hail," Sticky replied.
"The cold will still be harmful to you. In addition, several ice Pokemon live within the caves and forests spread over the mountain. If you were to be hit by a single Ice Beam, you'd probably faint."
Sticky tugged at her ponytail. "Will have to do."
"I had a thought. Before, over the sea, you were able to change your clothing without morphing back into a Ditto," I said. You could have changed the length of your tentacles to save my mother. I looked past Sticky's shoulder, unwilling to meet her eyes.
"Yes. Small clothing change easy. Know material. Rita teach me properties."
"So theoretically, could you change into a whole different Pokemon without transforming back into a Ditto?"
"No, don't know properties. Have to rely on transform memory." She had to be referring to the memory stored in a Ditto's brain, replacing the area of the brain typically devoted to evolution. The complete memory of all encountered Pokemon would only exist when she was a Ditto.
I nodded. "And Rita tells me that you created that body for yourself. How?"
"Imagine. Combine transform memory."
"Then can you imagine a Pokemon with different typing? For instance, a Dragonair that's a partial fire type and thus resistant to ice?"
"Never try. When transformed, don't know... properties."
"Humans have different properties, though, and you were able to pick and choose which properties you wanted to have in this form."
"Human one species. Pokemon several."
I sighed. Given more time and Rita's equipment, perhaps I could come up with a series of experiments to test exactly what Sticky was capable of. However, under these circumstances, it was most important to meet with Seth Hastings. If Sticky proved unable to take us all the way to the top of Hail Mountain, I had my own Pokemon I could rely on.
"Alright, Sticky, transform into Dragonair. We're leaving." I turned to find Landon, but Sticky sidestepped in front of me.
"Mr. Master, we go home soon, right? I miss Rita. Want to help."
"You are helping, Sticky. I don't know about seeing Rita, though. We could be stuck in this time." I moved past the girl, scanning the apple trees. Landon was in the largest tree, closest to Hail Mountain's steepening slope.
What would happen if I contacted the Rita of this time? She didn't know my father yet. In fact, she might not even be working for Team Glop'emm. It was sometime this year that she would join. Until I understood exactly how the time stream worked, exactly how my actions would influence the future, perhaps it was best to have as little contact as possible with people from this time.
"Landon, ready to go?" I called as I reached the large apple tree. Landon, leapt out of the tree, landing beside me. He held four apples in his arms and gathered up the few he'd plucked from high branches and dropped to the ground. He didn't look at me.
We walked back to our camp area and packed everything into my bag in silence. When Honchkrow cawed overhead, I returned him to his PokeBall.
"Landon, I apologize. I was a little harsh before," I finally said. "We should reach Winsk City on top of Hail Mountain before dark tonight, and we can take Buster to the Pokemon Center." I unclipped Buster's PokeBall from my belt and offered it to Landon.
He took the PokeBall and pocketed it. We climbed atop Sticky and took off.
Two hours later, the air was much colder and it was more difficult to breathe. Though the morning had begun sunny and cloudless, Sticky had created thick overhead clouds in an attempt to keep some of the warmth in the atmosphere. It wasn't having much of an effect. I'd had to unshrink the sleeping bags and wrapped them around Landon and me to stay warm.
Sticky pushed through the thin, cold air with more endurance than I'd credited her with.
By mid-afternoon, we were flying past cliffs made entirely of ice. Scaling Hail Mountain was one of the most challenging climbs in the world and by far the most challenging in Acceber. Nai Shivicle, the gym leader of Winsk City, rarely received gym challenges simply because it was so difficult to reach the top of the mountain.
When we took a brief break on a ledge made entirely of ice, Landon huddled in my large green sleeping bag and asked, "When we meet the Hastings man, you're not going to leave me, are you?"
Sticky munched on a few apples I tossed to her. "Where else would I go?"
Landon just looked at me.
"No, I'm not going to leave you."
"What if a big monster Pokemon, like Kyogre, takes you away?"
"Kyogre can't climb mountains."
"Fine. Articuno or Lugia."
I bent down so I could see Landon eye to eye. Is cheeks were rosy from the cold. "Landon, if anything separates us, I will come find you."
"Dragonair!" Sticky declared. Whether it was an agreement or an indication that she was done eating, I couldn't say. We climbed back on her back and continued up the mountain.
With Sticky's ability to hold the weather at bay, the biggest challenge we encountered was a group of wild Glalies trying to shoot Sticky down with Ice Beam. Sticky paralyzed them with a weak electric shock from her horn, allowing us to escape unscathed.
The Pokemon Center was closed for the evening when we reached Winsk City. This was one of the few towns, I reflected, in which the Pokemon Center could afford to close at all.
Landon held my arm tightly as we made our way to the nearest house; the ground was completely coated in ice. We knocked on the door and asked directions to Seth Hasting's house. It was two more attempts before a man recognized the name as "the Professor who just moved here" and pointed us to the hut on the outskirts of the town.
The hut was small and slightly decrepit. A large portion of the gutter was hanging loosely, weighed down by the snow, and icicles hung from the roof around the hut's windows. Smoke rose from the chimney slowly, as if it was an effort to keep the smoke rising.
I knocked on the door as Sticky transformed into her human form, this time wearing a thick fur coat.
A man wearing a maroon bathrobe and large, round bifocal glasses answered the door. He had dark bags under his eyes, and his eyes were bloodshot, as if he'd been crying.
"Seth Hastings?"
"Come in, it's cold out. And please, call me Bert."
As we entered, Bert peered over my shoulder. "Ah, and this must be Landon."
I stopped walking and stepped in front of Landon. "How do you—"
In front of me, by the living room hearth, fluttered Celebi. Landon gripped my arm tighter. "It's Celebi," he whispered.
I scanned the room. To my left there was a desk cluttered with papers. I spotted a paper that read, There once was a boy who will went. The walls of the room were made of wood. There were no paintings or photos hanging up. Across the room, there were two doors. One door was closed, but the other doorway I could see led to a kitchen. On my right was the living room, complete with a cushioned couch, thick carpet, and a fireplace.
"Why you here?" Sticky asked Celebi, stepping in front of Landon and me.
Celebi looked at me expectantly.
"Landon," I said. "You need to let go of my arm so I can hear what Celebi wants to say."
"You can control whether you can let psychics into your brain?" Landon asked. I frowned at him. This wasn't the time.
Landon scowled and let go of my arm.
I opened my mind.
<I'm here to take you home, of course.>
Dread filled my stomach. I knew where this was leading. To be sure, I asked, "If you are just going to take us back to my time, why drag us all the way to Winsk City?"
<First of all, you're the one who decided to come here. Second of all, who said there was an 'us' involved? I'm only taking you back to your own time. You've accomplished what you came back in time to accomplish, and Professor Hastings here has so kindly agreed to raise Landon in your stead.>
"No," I said.
<You really don't have an option. I'll give you a few minutes to say your goodbyes.>
My head felt like it was spinning. Not again. I couldn't lose Landon again. "Sticky, trans—"
<Do you really want to fight a Pokemon that can time travel? Use that logical brain of yours. Struggle, and I'll pop you back to your own time now and disappear completely from your life. You won't even be able to say goodbye. I'm trying to be nice by offering so don't waste it.>
I turned to Hastings, angry. "You'll take good care of him, you swear?"
The man flinched. "Y-yes. Of course."
"Why did you agree to this?" I asked.
Bert smiled sadly. "I had a son once, too."
Landon tugged at my sleeve. "What's going on, Liam?"
Ignoring him, I turned to Sticky. Whatever happened in the future had already happened. Landon's body had washed ashore four years from now. That meant either Landon would actually die, or…
"Sticky, you're staying here. In four years you need to go back to Slateport City, imagine how Landon's body would look if he had died the day of the Tsunami, transform into his corpse, and allow yourself to be found. You will be buried alive. After you can do as you please. I'm sure you can come up with some Pokemon that can dig out of a coffin. I'll keep your PokeBall so there's no possible way for anyone to catch you. If you find me in the future, I'll return it to you."
"I already knew," Sticky said. A strange reply.
"Liam?" Landon tugged on my sleeve again.
"Already knew what, Sticky?"
"Knew this happen." She stood a little taller, proudly. "I told me."
"Liam!"
I turned to Landon, putting my hands on his shoulders. "Landon, Celebi says she will only take me back to my time."
"No! Stay here! You said you would! You said!" Landon pounded his fists on my chest. I let him.
"This man, Bert, has agreed to take care of you, okay?"
"Don't go! Tell Celebi you're not going!"
"Landon, remember how strong the tsunami was that destroyed Slateport City? The city didn't have a choice in whether the tsunami hit it or not. This is the same way. I don't have a choice. The legendary Pokemon will do what it wants regardless of my decision." I hugged Landon. He was shaking.
"I hate them," he whispered. "I hate legendaries." He pulled away. "I hate you, too. Even if the stupid fairy says you have to go with her, can't you at least try not to?"
There was a fluttering by my ear. I knew Celebi hovered just behind my shoulder. Gripping Landon's shoulders tightly, I leaned over and pressed my lips to the soft mess of Landon's hair. "Try not to get in too much trouble, and take care of Buster."
My gut twisted and vision blurred.