Lewwie! said:
good chappie EC. Seems interesting. I wonder why there always has to be a boat chapter in journey fics. DOn't worry I used one too. But I swear there usually is. Anyway great chappie.
I know, it's odd huh? I guess it's because in Hoenn they need to get to Dewford for their second badge. They seem to be hijacked by Team Aqua a lot too O-o Cheers for dropping a review J-man! Hope you like your new nickname
1337 beta said:
Devon tower eh? I'll go check that out.
You'll never find it Chibi, I buried it too deep! Glad to hear Silverwing is silver again... for his sake, I'll tell you to look out for the colour green
§ike§aner said:
Wehhh, this chapter almost escaped my notice!
Ah, whatever. That was nice, Cinder getting to choose his own name...wonder what that Totodile's going to end up being called? Hm.
Highlights:
EC said:
-“So, Adam,”- he said, sitting down on the headboard –“I’ve been thinking.”-
“Most people do,” replied Adam.
*SNORT!*
Fwee! The highlights return, with ego boostingness and helpfulness in one nifty package... Great, now I'm saying nifty too XD
SS said:
Me again said:
Standing up, Adam ran to the crowded railings, and scoured the ocean for signs of a Psyduck. Sure enough, he saw a large yellow duck shooting across the ocean, his webbed feet resting on a bright red surfboard. Just above his beige bill, a pair of black sunglasses rested on its face, gleaming as the pokémon neared the ship.
-“Prepare to be amazed by the tricks of Psydelus, the greatest surfer of all time!”- he quacked loudly to the dazzled audience.
What a pleasant little surreal image you provided there. I always enjoy those.
The scene closing the chapter was also quite excellent - you'll now recieve a few extra happy-points from me for the nifty description of Gyarados.
...Oh, Lord, I used the word "nifty"...
I'm not sure why, but everyone seems to think that a surfing Psyduck is odd, dunno why. Thanks for the helpful for the review; ultra-cookies for all!
~Chapter 9: Black Beach~
“The time is 9:00 PM, would all passengers please disembark to Dewford harbour. The time is 9:00 PM, would all passengers please….”
-“I get it!”- screamed Totodile eventually, losing her cool.
-“Chill dude, just cause you ain’t got no name…”- Cinder replied.
“Cinder, is there any reason you’re talking like that?” asked Adam witheringly.
-“I thought an accent gave me more personality, you know, to go with my name and all…”-
“While its possible it gives you more personality, it’s the bad kind,” sighed Adam.
They walked through one of the ships shiny white passageways, followed by a bustling crowd of people and pokémon desperate to get off. After a few minutes of silence they arrived at a glowing green sign with ‘EXIT’ plastered across in large bold letters, where the crowd was flowing outwards, jostling like bulls. Grabbing their pokémon Adam and George jumped in, and eventually squeezed out onto the wooden steps of Dewford docks. They took a minute to take in the scenery; around them the masts of yachts glowed like a white forest, bobbing gently on the current. The sea around the ship glowed jade with the glow of underwater lights, though the occasional flash of a Chinchou stuck out from the calm ocean. The lapping of the ocean against the wood and rock was soothing, and the gang walked a while longer in silence.
“So, were sleeping at the pokécenter tonight, right?” asked George.
“Yeah I guess. I just hope they have a spare room,” yawned Adam.
“We know where it is though, right?” asked George in a concerned voice.
-“I do! It was on one of those pamphlets!”- beamed Totodile proudly.
George stopped, and started rummaging quickly through his rucksack, muttering to himself. With a victorious cry he lifted one of the pamphlets out, and had a look at the colourful map on the back.
“According to this we keep on walking in a straight line, and then we…” began George.
“Arrive at the pokécenter?” suggested Adam as he looked over George’s shoulder.
“Yeah. You can see it from here too, if you just step a bit to the right,” replied a freaked-out George.
The huge red dome of the pokécenter loomed above them, placed neatly on a gleaming stone plateau. Around it and on the same elevated area a huge plot of grass and flowers grew neatly. From the dense foliage huge beams of light shot up, illuminating the platform. It seemed that it had merely been blocked from sight by a closed surfing-gear shop as they disembarked. As the four walked around the shop and up the stone stairs they passed a great view of the huge beach, a gigantic stretch of white that went around the entire island. Adam turned his head away slowly, and stepped into the welcoming warmth of the pokécenter.
“Nice décor, though I’m too tired to appreciate it fully. I guess I’ll get a room then anyway,” George asked, stepping through the entrance.
The décor was quite nice, a royal red carpet covered the floor, with a few well placed black leather sofas against the walls. Dark wooden desks lined the far wall, polished to perfection and covered by computers and papers. The walls were covered in white wallpaper that was fringed at the top and bottom by a gold and brown pattern that intertwined beautifully. The group soon crossed the room, and arrived at the line of desks.
“Hello! Can I help you?” asked a smiling young Nurse in the standard white clothes and in the same practical spirit her chestnut hair was tied back in a bun.
“Yeah. Can we have a double room for the night?” asked Adam.
“Of course! I’ll just need your trainer ID’s and you can go up!” she smiled.
“Here you go,” muttered George drowsily.
After the two handed their cards over the Nurse she scanned them with a swipe slot in her computer. After a short period of furious typing she turned back to them, and handed each their trainer cards and a pair of keys.
“Ok! I’ve booked you into room 54b. Just go up the stairs and you’ll soon find it,” she added.
“Thanks,” yawned George, before climbing the large wooden stairs.
*********
“WELCOME GUEST, TODAY IS THE 13th OF JULY. IT IS NOW 8:00 PM EXACTLY. WELCO-”
George’s fist hit the alarm clock with a satisfying ‘thump’. Yawning he got up, and swung his legs out of the white duvet. From the other side of the room a loud yawning indicated that Adam too had awoke. Dusting off his green pajamas, George pulled aside the curtains, and filling the white room with golden light. Outside the caws of Wingull rung out across the crowded streets, accompanied by the bustle of trainers below entering the pokécenter.
“This place sure wakes up early,” commented Adam from the other side, walking across the tiled floor.
“Yeah, I guess its too hot most of the time,” agreed George.
Yawning again, Adam opened the wooden door to the dressing room, lifting his bag up behind him a he walked in. Before George could even sigh in exasperation at his spot being taken, Totodile ejected herself from her pokéball in a flash of light. Glancing around she found herself on a bedside table, and right next to a bemused George.
-“Lets go see the sea! I want a good swim!”- exclaimed Totodile, stretching her small claws.
“I’m not even dressed yet! We can go as soon as Adam gets out of the dressing room, the place-stealer that he is,” replied George loudly.
“Harsh language!” mocked Adam from the next room, before coming out.
A white baseball cap adorned his head, with the traditional Houenn half-pokéball symbol sown in black thread. He was wearing a plain black t-shirt with a discreet white ‘ᇘ’ logo in the right corner. His black pokéball bearing belt had six metallic spheres attached in their shrunken forms, though only one was occupied. Underneath he wore pale grey sports trousers and a pair of shiny white running shoes.
“All I need is a pair of prescription sunglasses and I’m set!” exclaimed Adam. “I guess you can go in now anyway.”
“Thank you my lord,” replied George as he walked past.
“Hey, sarcasm is my thing!” said Adam, feigning a hurt tone.
*********
Adam and George strolled through the busy streets of Dewford under the sweltering heat of the tropical island. George was also wearing a sunhat, though his was black and had no logo. He wore a white cross stitched t-shirt, though it was partially covered by the black straps of his backpack. Light beige shorts came down to his knees, and brown leather sandals covered his feet.
“I wish I had sandals,” complained Adam. “This heat is driving me insane, especially carrying this backpack around everywhere.”
-“Speak for yourself, this is heaven!”- laughed Cinder, flaring his tail happily.
“Hey, there’s the beach!” interrupted George happily.
“Whup-dee-do,” sighed Adam, drenching his face with a water bottle.
Sure enough, a huge stretch of gloriously white sand ran for miles, curving away gently in the distance. The glimmering azure sea crashed in white waves, flowing gently across the sand. A large group of sun loungers and parasols had been put up in a few prime locations for those more interested in tanning than surfing, and they had become the main concentration of people on the huge beach. Still, there were a fair few surfers, though the waves weren’t large enough to warrant a hardcore following. As the group walked across the sand it whipped up, and stung their eyes like tiny Beedrill. Rubbing his, George scanned the huge beach for somewhere to change, but with little luck.
“Hey Adam, can you see any changing stands?” asked George.
“They’re over there by the ice-cream stand,” replied Adam, pointing randomly.
“Thanks!” said George, running off.
Much to Adam’s surprise there was indeed a row of wooden changing cubicles, side by side with some matching lockers. Rolling his eyes at the weirdness of the world in general, he followed George and a dancing Totodile. As he an Cinder strolled up, a large muscled man passed them, dressed in orange shorts and carrying a huge red surfboard. Short light-blue hair covered his head, whipping up in the breeze as he ran. As he passed he turned slightly, and as Adam stepped backwards to avoid being impale on a surfboard, he slipped backwards and smashed down onto a large pile of pebbles. They scattered everywhere, making Cinder roar with laughter, and teeter about dangerously.
“Damn! You know how long it took Marsal and me to pile those up?” asked a despairing voice behind.
Turning around Adam saw a teenage girl sitting on the sandy beach. Her hair was bright purple, and in her sitting position almost touched the ground as it was whipped about by the breeze. Her eyes were a gleaming cobalt colour, complimenting her shocking neon hair well. She was wearing a black t-shirt and long dark trousers, which looked uncomfortable in this heat. Beside her a small beige fox-like pokémon sat in the lotus position, large double hooked feet sticking out onto the sand. Her eyes were screwed shut and her tiny nostrils breathed slowly, her brown fur-covered stomach rising rhythmically. On her shoulders, sponge like tufts of brown fur protruded in two neat triangular shapes, like the fur was glued together. Out of these two pale skinny arms emerged, leading to large segmented oval hands. This pokémon obviously wasn’t adept at physical combat, and how she could pile stones with her eyes closed was a mystery to Adam.
“A few minutes maybe? Sorry for your ‘loss’, but to be blunt, it wasn’t my fault,” sighed Adam, picking himself up from the remains of the pebble-pyramid.
“So, why did you break our pyramid?” she questioned.
“Neesh, I’m telling you it wasn’t my fault, though why you’d want a pebble-pyramid is beyond me,” exclaimed Adam. “If you want someone to yell at, go yell at that surfer guy with the fan club over there.”
Indeed, the surfer had attracted a huge crowd of female fans, watching him eagerly as he surfed up and down the rather puny waves of the beach. Turning her head to look she sighed in disbelief, clearly annoyed even further. She looked like snapping at Adam, until she saw Cinder, watching the mini-inquisition with interest while lying on the baking sand.
“Finally! I take it you’re a trainer then? ‘Cause all we have here is surfers, who usually train fighting types and spend most of their time doing squat,” she asked hopefully.
“Yeah, sure… I assume you want to battle Charmander-” Adam began, before being interrupted by a tiny jet of flame. “I assume you want to battle CINDER and me then?”
“Yeah! Go Marsal, show them what an Abra can do!” she announced, jumping up and getting into a dramatic stance behind ‘Marsal’.
“Ok Cinder, you’re up,” called out Adam. “Try a Smokescreen.”
Adam had been reading up on Charmander attacks, and sure enough, Cinder took in a deep breath, ready to release the attack. As resistance failed to occur, he breathed out deeply, sending a huge billow of smog over the beach. As the attack progressed it spread out, covering the whole makeshift arena and causing the teenage girl to cough heavily.
“Marsal, use Foresight!” she coughed quickly.
Adam sighed, knowing the move would effectively neutralize the smokescreen. He was proven right when two bright blue eyes shone through the smoke, instantly pin-pointing Cinders location. Still, at least it would affect the trainer…
“Ok Cinder, aim an Ember at those eyes!” commanded Adam.
“Teleport away Marsal!” called out his opponent.
A flurry of flaming embers shot through the dark cloud of smoke, swerving perfectly to the targets position. The first few connected in a flash of fire, and the high pitched yelping of the Abra. Before the second volley could hit, a huge white glow pierced the dark, coming from the direction of Marsal. Still, another flash soon revealed the coordinates of the teleport, and Cinder turned around, poised for attack.
“Fury Swipes before she recovers!” called Adam, muffled a little by the fog.
Cinder rushed forwards quickly, his black body blending seamlessly with the smoky atmosphere. As he neared Marsal he jumped high in the air, rotating swiftly to build up momentum. As he came down he landed a glancing slash to the Abra’s face, followed by a swift uppercut that sent her flying upwards. Six claws glinting as tendrils of light broke through the cloud of dark, Cinder charged again, uttering a deep reptilian growl. As he ran forwards the air around him blurred, and Abra raised a glowing purple hand upwards, stopping the Charmander completely.
“Good one Marsal! Now use Hypnosis!” commanded a feminine voice.
The fog was almost gone now, and Adam clearly saw the tiny Abra raise a glowing paw to Cinder’s forehead. The air blurred again, and Cinder’s eyes glassed over, and he began to succumb to the psychic’s sleep technique.
*********
Cinder peered around, curious as to where he was. The last he could remember he was at the beach fighting an Abra, and now, this. He was in a small cave made from brown granite, molded almost perfectly into quarter of a sphere of rock. Still, stalactites hung from the ceiling, making the cave look like a huge, forbidding maw. Outside he saw more granite, obviously he was in some cavernous complex somewhere, but why?
He stepped out, ducking under the stalactites when a drop of crimson liquid hit his black skin. Puzzled, he looked up, just as a steady stream of red fell from the pointed rocks. It must be the rust thought Cinder You always get red iron rust stuff in places like this… It looks a bit dark though, almost like blood... As if transformed by his thoughts, the rock began to melt into the same liquid, and Cinder could see it was now that it was blood. He yelled in disgust and protest, but the river of red grew ever larger, and soon he was swept up in the raging fury of the crimson tide, but there was little could do to stop it. Eventually he stopped his struggle, waiting to see where it would lead him. As he calmed down, so did the macabre stream, and soon he was merely drifting along, watching the blood soaked ceiling pass slowly above.
A sudden flash of light blinded his vision, a red nova of fire surrounded by a shadow of pure malice. Motion stopped, he was still, and the river became completely tranquil, solid almost. His eyes were glued to the red light, tendrils of pure black hatred extending from the crimson core and eating at the rocks like acid. Transfixed, he remained staring in awe; the blood and panic blasted away by the haunting light. It sent rhythms through his body and soul, growing in pitch until they were a scream. Another piercing shriek cut the air, and he was no longer looking upon a vision of light, but at blurry people scrambling through a brambly forest, slipping and stumbling desperately.
This too disappeared, and he was back facing the light, a swirling mass of ether. His mind became muffled in a fog of sleep, and though the light screamed words at him, he couldn’t understand. All he could see was the black light rising…
*********
Cinder blinked his eyes open, and to his relief he found himself on the familiar beach again. Beside him lay a dazed Abra, her face covered in soot from what he could only assume was one of his own attacks. Adam was saying goodbye to the girl, who seemed to be happy with the outcome of the battle for some reason.
“Thanks Adam! I know I need to tire pokémon out more before putting them to sleep next time,” she called as he began to leave.
“Yeah, good battle Leanne! Cinder kind of needs the experience,” he laughed.
And with that, they walked off in different directions, Cinder rushing to catch up with Adam. Once he caught him up he kept pace, pondering about the odd dream he’d had… Was it a side-affect of hypnosis? Was it ordinary? Was it
real?
The End Of Chapter 9
