?Get down here!? Leah commanded.
The pokemon happily obliged, and with a laugh, the sapphire rabbit hopped off the roof, and onto Arcanine?s back. Continuing to laugh, the water type beat its long tail against the fire dog?s side, much like a jockey would do to a race horse. Arcanine raised an eyebrow and threw his back upward, bucking the small pokemon off its spine. The water type gracefully slid through the air, and landed on its feet in front of Leah.
?Stop messing around.? Leah barked. ?This is Michael.?
?Azu!? The water type cried, spinning around.
The small sapphire rabbit raised its tail to Michael?s waist, the blue ball on the end waving. Michael did what he thought he was supposed to do, he grabbed the blue ball in his right hand and shook it. Apparently this was the right thing to do because the pokemon shook back.
?Now that you two are acquainted, can we get going? Leah smiled. ?I?d like to be done by nightfall.?
?Sure.? Michael smiled.
?Good.? Leah said. ?Can you bend down Arcanine??
?Bow.? The pokemon replied, kneeling to the grass.
?Why is he doing that?? Michael inquired.
?He?s going to take us over there.? Leah nodded.
?Were going to ride him?? Michael asked. There was no way in hell he was riding that thing.
?Of course.? Leah said. ?He?s pretty fast when he needs to be.?
?I don?t know.? Michael grimaced.
?Are you afraid?? Leah smiled.
?No.? Michael said defiantly. ?I?m just a little hesitant to take a ride on a giant dog.?
?Are you sure?? Leah inquired. ? It will take you awhile if you walk.?
?Walking will do me good.? Michael smiled.
?Alright then.? Leah nodded. ?By the time you get to the baby Stantler I?ll be done. So, you wanna meet me by the pond.?
?Sounds good.? Michael smiled.
?I?ll let Azumarril go with you.? Leah stated.
?Is the pond hard to find? Michael asked.
?No, its directly across the field.? Leah replied. ?I just don?t want you to be alone if you have another spazz attack.?
?What?s that supposed to mean?? Michael said angrily.
?Nothing at all.? Leah laughed. ?I?ll see you over there.? With that, Leah took a step left and put one leg over the great dog?s neck. Arcanine raised itself back to full height, taking a deep breath as it went. Leah grabbed a handful of the fire type?s mane for support and turned to look at the flamboyant figure of Azumarril.
?Make sure he gets there alright okay.? Leah commanded.
?Azu!? The water type grinned.
?Let?s go Arcanine!? Leah smiled .
The fire dog howled at the sky, obviously, and whole heartedly excited. The amplifying sound rang out through the field and made its way into the forest, getting louder all the while. Arcanine stopped the call and drew in a deep breath, eyes glazed over in joy. The fire dog trotted forward, stretching its coiled ligaments. As Michael watched, the beast smiled at the blazing sun, and shot forward, Leah holding for dear life. As it sped towards the other side of the field, its legs transformed into nothing more than blond blurs.
?Spazz attack my foot.? Michael muttered. ?I wasn?t the one screaming.? He did freak out though. But he had a reason, she didn?t. Although, he probably would have had a heart attack if the snake had leapt at him. Why was he even sweating this? It was just a joke anyway.
?We?d better get going.? Michael stated.
?Azu!? The sapphire pokemon laughed.
What does that mean?? Michael inquired.
?Marril.? The pokemon grinned.
?You?re not smarter than me.? Michael spat.
?Marril!? The water type giggled, acting contentedly unconcerned.
?Aren?t you a happy little ball of fat.? Michael giggled.
?Azu!? The pokemon growled.
In a laughing rage, the small blue pokemon jumped up, and once again whacked Michael across the head with its ball of a tail.
?Hey!? Michael said.
?Azumarril!? The pokemon giggled. With another laugh, and a kick of its rectangular feet, the pokemon started hopping towards the other end of the field. This was one cool little pokemon. Maybe this wouldn?t be so bad after all. There was some cool stuff here. Some very cool stuff indeed. Realizing, that he was now alone, Michael took off after the oval shaped Azumarril.
?Get back here!? Michael laughed.
~*~*~
Leah?s hair billowed out like the mane of a sprinting stallion behind her. The steady clop of Arcanine?s paws against the thirsty ground had put her into a barely conscious trance. The young teen hardly noticed the pokemon that were blitzing past her. She was too deep in thought for that. Her thinking was based solely on one thing; and that was Michael. His whole ?I was transported here from another world? story had really troubled her. She knew that the professor wouldn?t lie to her about such a thing, but still. This wasn?t the type of thing you heard about every day; this wasn?t the type of thing you heard about at all. It was only now that she had really started thinking about it again. Her mind had gone kind of astray after the Arbok attack. That was **** scary. Thank Ho-Oh her father had been there. She hated to think about what would have happened if he hadn?t. Then, without warning, her mind drifted from Michael, to the event that was to take place the day after tomorrow.
?Ugh.? She muttered.
Leah had mixed feeling?s about starting her journey. She was excited to be finally getting out on her own where she could make her own rules, set her own limitations, and be completely dependant on herself. But on the other hand, she was leaving everything she knew. Leah hated her parent?s stupid rules and lectures, but she was already beginning to miss their monotonous draw. Leah knew that she was going to miss everything about Lasford, but she also knew that she had to leave. It was tradition. This was how it started in the tiny town. That was one thing that really intrigued Leah about setting off. She knew how it had to start, but she didn?t know how it was going to end.
~*~*~
Michael would have probably already been at the lake if he hadn?t been stopping every minute to scan every pokemon that lumbered past. This was actually starting to annoy Azumarril; even though the sun was starting to slightly settle, it was still horrifically humid; and nothing would have pleased the sapphire rabbit more than a dip in the glacier cold pond.
?Weird!? Michael beamed as a shape bounced by. The small figure was nothing more than a sphere of long violet hair. Two long, but thin antenna rocketed out of the top of the small pokemon?s skull, much like the picture of Celebii from before. The creature had a strangely shaped pale nose; like a star with two of the points missing. The same pale red color made up the creature?s enormous seeing parts. The eye?s were like that of a fly; hundreds of tiny octagons, intricately woven into two glittering ovals. Other than the pokemon?s startling eyes, the most interesting thing about this creature was the way it moved. The violet haired creature was bouncing and skipping like a drug addict on the best high of his life. The weirdest thing about it was that it was moving in no particular direction at all. The pokemon was just moving randomly in every direction. Curious, Michael raised his right arm, eager to hear what the pokedex had to say about this crazy little critter. However, just as Michael aimed the glass orb at the small pokemon, Azumarril leapt up and rudely snatched the pokedex from Michael?s hand. The pokemon landed back in front of Michael and shook one of its long arms in a side to side motion.
?What?s you?re problem!?? Michael barked.
?Azu!? Azumarril retorted.
?Give it back.? Michael pleaded. ?I want to see what the pokedex has to say about that purple thing.?
The small pokemon said nothing in response, it only rolled its eyes, turned around, and started running full speed in the direction they were supposed to be heading; pokedex clutched tightly in its hand. Michael took one last longing look at the bouncing purple shape, and began jogging after Azumarril. The explanations of the three pokemon he had just scanned were rebounding through his brain. He struggled to remember their odd names. He remembered a green one called Chikorita, a small fox like pokemon called Vulpix, and a spiky brown raccoon like pokemon called zigzags or something. Why did they have such whacked names for these things anyway? How was a person supposed to remember them all?
?Michael!? A voice shouted. The young teen looked up from the ground, searching for the source of the voice. Arcanine was sprawled out across the ground about twenty yards to Michael?s right; with Leah sitting upright on the ground next to it, almost completely buried beneath the fire dog?s luxurious coat.
?Hey!? Michael smiled. He sprinted the rest of the way over to the duo, eager to hear what Leah had done in his absence. ?What happened with the pokemon you were checking on??
?Same old, same old.? Leah replied. ?They were fine; just like they always are.?
?That?s cool.? Michael beamed. ?Where?s Azumarril? It took my pokedex.?
?Here it is.? Leah blinked, holding out her arm. ?Sorry about that. I think he just really wanted to take a swim.?
?Thanks.? Michael nodded, taking the pokedex from her hand. ?Before Azumarril robbed me, I was able to scan some pokemon.?
?The pokedex is pretty cool isn?t it?? Leah asked.
?It really is.? Michael agreed.
?What pokemon did you see?? Leah asked.
?One called Chikorita, a red one called Vulpix, and a spiky haired brown called Zigzags I think.? Michael stated.
?Zigzagoon?? Leah questioned.
?That?s right.? Michael nodded.
?You need to memorize those names or you?re going to sound like an idiot to everyone who doesn?t know where you?re from.? Leah said
?Excuse me if I?m a little rusty.? Michael said. ?Have you forgotten that these are words that I normally don?t use on a day to day basis??
?I know.? Leah laughed. ?But since it looks like you?ll be staying here for awhile, you might want to make a habit of studying them.?
?I guess you?re right.? Michael said.
?Anyway.? Leah started, rising from the ground. ?How would you like to add a really special pokemon to you?re pokedex collection??
?Sure.? Michael said. ?Where is it??
?Right over there.? Leah pointed. Her slender finger was cast directly towards the right corner of the small forest, where the plain ended, and the dark green foliage of the woods began to form. Snugly fitted into that corner was the pond. It was obviously man-made; Michael could tell that from its perfectly rectangular shape. Turning back to Leah, Michael gave a nod, and started walking towards the small body of water. As he neared the mass of water, he realized that it was much bigger than he thought.
?Wait up!? Leah called.
With a sigh, Michael stopped, and impatiently waited for Leah. She and Arcanine trotted up alongside him and they all started walking towards the mass of water. Cries of what sounded like laughter broke the silence in which the were trudging through. Those sounds actually lifted Michael to an even higher joyful platform than the one he was already on.
?I assume that you guys built this yourself?? Michael questioned.
?That?s right.? Leah replied as they came to a halt at the edge of the pond. There was a small grass overhang that jutted over the surface of the water, which was situated only a couple inches below ground. Pokemon of all shapes and colors were mingling in the water. Some were power swimming, others were splashing, and some were even lined up against one side of the pond, as if preparing for a race. Michael dropped to one knee, shot Leah a playful grin, and lowered his hand to run his hand across the rippling surface of the liquid. Michael didn?t know if it was him, or his subconscious, but right as his hand was about to make contact with the water, he jerked it back up, and quickly rose to his feet.
Flash!
Michael?s mind spiraled back towards the lightning encrusted morning. Back to the glowing white pool of energy. Falling in. Losing consciousness. Waking up in a place that was not his own. Sure, this looked to be regular pond water. Murkily blue, like every other pond, but thin enough to allow him to see downward a couple feet. He still didn?t trust this water though. His cheek twitched. The lightning flashed again. Michael took in an unsteady breath, viciously ordering his mind to stop.
?What is it?? Leah asked.
?Nothing.? Michael replied. ?It?s just, the last time I stuck my hand in a pool of water, something bad happened. And I?m really not too keen on having a repeat of that.?
?I understand.? Leah nodded. ?But you can put your fears at rest for now. It?s only water. Nothing more, nothing less.?
?Okay.? Michael shrugged.
?So are you going to touch it?? Leah wondered.
?No.? Michael quickly replied.
?Whatever.? Leah blinked. ?But you can?t go through your time here being afraid of everything.?
?I know, and I won?t be.? Michael explained. ?I just need a little time.?
?Alright.? Leah nodded. ?Azumarril!?
As Michael turned his attention back to the pond, he noticed Azumarril, lying belly up near the center of the artificial body of water, both of its pudgy arms twisted behind its head in a relaxing pose. As Leah?s call made its way through the Azumarril?s carotid eardrum, the sapphire rabbit rolled over. With a grin, the sapphire rabbit started paddling towards the grassy shore. It powered through the water like a nitro driven speed boat; and in no time at all, it arrived, sputtering onto shore. Leah took a step forward, bent down, raised one hand in a feeble attempt of a shield and started whispering in Azumarril?s enormous left ear. After a moment, Leah rose to her full height, and gave black eyed pokemon a sharp nod. The egg shaped pokemon rolled its eyes in response, turned tail, and leapt back into the water. Shards of clear aqua sprayed in all directions as the pokemon connected with the water; Michael watched a few of the drops swing through the air and smack the ground. Losing interest, he turned his attention back to Leah.
?What was that for?? Michael asked.
?I was just telling Azumarril to go get it.? Leah replied.
?Get what?? Michael inquired.
?You?ll see.? Leah giggled.
?Fine.? Michael groaned. ?How deep does the pond go anyway??
?Fairly deep.? Leah replied. ?But what?s really neat about this particular pond is the cave. The water pokemon that thrive in the water all the time dug sideways underground to make a passage. It actually goes pretty far into the forest.?
?Why do you think they did that?? Michael asked.
?To make it seem a little more like the ocean I guess.? Leah shrugged.
?But don?t they have to worry about it collapsing?? Michael wondered.
?My father and Azumarril went down there after it was finished, and from what he saw, he said that it wasn?t a problem.? Leah replied. ?Those water pokemon know what they?re doing.?
Just as Michael was about to utter yet another mindless question, the nearby surface of the water broke open, and Azumarril clambered out, a huge stupid grin etched into its face.
?Is she coming?? Leah excitedly asked.
?Azu!? Azumarril replied.
?Thanks Azumarril.? Leah smiled.
?Is what?s ?Coming? a pokemon?? Michael asked.
?That?s pretty obvious.? Leah said.
This girl was quite the smart-arse. Was that comment really necessary? Why couldn?t she have just said yes? Was it really that hard to give a semi-polite response?
As Michael continued to watch the water, something dawned on him. The assorted pokemon that were previously playing at all parts of the pond had ceased. In fact, most of the pokemon in the small mass of water started moving towards the side closest to them. This started to slightly worry Michael. Why would they be doing that? And as Michael continued to watch the water, his question was slowly answered. It started as a soft yellow glow on the side of the pond nearest to the woods. It slowly started moving towards the duo of humans, the yellow light growing brighter and more defined. Michael shot a nervous glance at Leah and Azumarril, who were both lost in the approaching shape. Suddenly, the glowing light brutally smashed through the surface of the calm liquid.
?No way.? Michael whispered.
The glowing light had changed into a figure. A figure that seemed unreal to Michael. A figure that he doubted he could have ever dreamt up. The object that had emerged from the pond twisted itself to face the two humans, and started to rise. Sparks that reminded Michael of shooting stars leapt from the creature, cris-crossing each other in a beautifully backwards display of pyrotechnics. The light that was radiating from the figure was blinding; it was if the heavens had taken the sun and transformed it into a moving shape. The figure drifted slowly through the air, approaching the two humans cautiously, calculatingly. An aura of golden light trailed behind the creature; the end twisting away as it moved, much like waves made by a speeding boat. As it came closer, the glow began to soften. Little by little. Inch by inch. Then, the veil of light was almost completely dropped; allowing Michael a proper view of the creature that was defying gravity without the benefit of wings.
