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Oaken Falls [PG-13]

Ryano Ra

Verdant Vitality
*tries his best not to look at the spoiler*

I'm sorry, but I had to read this story again. @_@; I couldn't help it. o_o; As several have already mentioned, the Giratina scene was nothing more except fabulous. I'm already an avid fan of grand entrances of legendaries, and the fact that it was by a dragon-type makes it that much more alluring. o_o Although I do wonder what lies in store for the next chapter...exactly how long was the third chapter?
 

CHeSHiRe-CaT

A Curious Breed
*tries his best not to look at the spoiler*

I'm sorry, but I had to read this story again. @_@; I couldn't help it. o_o; As several have already mentioned, the Giratina scene was nothing more except fabulous. I'm already an avid fan of grand entrances of legendaries, and the fact that it was by a dragon-type makes it that much more alluring. o_o Although I do wonder what lies in store for the next chapter...exactly how long was the third chapter?
The third chapter was twenty-one pages long. xD I'm already at the sixteen-page mark, and it's only going to rise. To procrastinate the rest of the chapter, I've been playing Team Rocket's theme on my ocarina. :p Okaaay, I'll get back to work.

God I'm a nerd. xP

I just wrote this long passage that's mostly dialogue, but it's essential nonetheless. In fact, I've had to stop and think ahead of this point in the story because of some of the material I've written. I have to match up events perfectly so that I'll have my desired result for the ending. @__@ I've also had to go back and include things I'd almost completely forgotten about.

Not sure when the next chapter will be out, but when it is, I'll probably have read it over fifty times. XP
 

Yami Ryu

Well-Known Member
Curse you Chesh, curse you curses curse curse cuuuurse cuuuuurrrrrssseeeeeee....

...
...



...


@2: ISNT THAT YOU!? Or ohnoez, SOMEONE HIJACKED YOUR BRAIN AND CONTROLS YOUR BODY. Why are you running away Chesh, I just wanna throw this giant cross at you, it'll fix you D: it will!

/insanity.

/chew

fine fine take you're time, I for one shouldn't be pushing you faster then you should be writing, but god damn it Chesh, you leave me and everyone else waiting with baited breath for the next chapter.

<.< >.>

*offers brownie*

edit:
. To procrastinate the rest of the chapter, I've been playing Team Rocket's theme on my ocarina. :p Okaaay, I'll get back to work.

Female Link/Zelda fans want your babies Chesh. Fleeeeee.
 

CHeSHiRe-CaT

A Curious Breed
Progress updaaaaaate!

Sorry to disappoint. :p

Chapter IV currently contains 21 pages worth of material (however, a good majority of it is dialogue). If you want an estimate of how long the entire thing will be, I'm going to say somewhere between 30 and 37 pages, give or take.

Currently, the entire story is running at 78 pages long, which means it is the second-longest fic I have ever written, trumped only by The Serebeth Noob Trials. However, that's probably going to change once I've finally completed Chapter IV.

Oaken Falls will then take the cake for being the only fic I haven't discontinued after the third chapter. XD Maybe that's why I haven't finished it in a few weeks: I subconsciously want to abandon it. However, I need only remind myself of what I have planned for the ending to keep going.


EDIT: ATENCION, POR FAVOR! Due to chapter constraints, I've decided to split this giganto monster known as Chapter IV so that Chapter V will have some material to go on as well. Expect to see it posted sometime today/tomorrow!

P.S. That means that all those promises I made to all of you in that spoiler will be split between the next two chapters. It was originally intended to be a single chapter, but I think anything over thirty pages would be murder on you guys. XP
 
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CHeSHiRe-CaT

A Curious Breed
After weeks of procrastination, I bring you the fourth chapter! Again, please note the edit in the previous post concerning what was in the spoiler tag earlier: this chapter was split due to length, so the details I promised you would find in Chapter IV will be divided among Chapter IV and Chapter V.

I can also assure you that Chapter V should not take as long as this installment did, as it requires less effort on my part to write.

And without further ado, I present:


CHAPTER IV: THE MONSTER REVELATION

Alex pounded on the rear window of the stolen car as it propelled the runaways through the outskirts of Oaken Falls, screaming at the top of his lungs and thrashing about violently.

“MOM! MOM! NO!”

“Alex, stop!”

Annie screamed as the boy attempted to smash the glass with his fist. Lucario turned around to see him punch it four times before crying out for his mother again in distress, the boy’s eyes nearly bursting from their sockets.

“Luc, watch the road!”

Cynthia’s hands flew to the wheel to spin it sideways, which caused the car to swerve sharply to the left. They had barely clipped a deadly guardrail along the freeway.

The Pokémon quickly muttered its apologies and tried to stay focused on the road while Annie was busy trying to grab the feverish Alex and drag him back into his seat. Her attempts were futile at first as he continued to bash the back window, smearing blood all over from his shredded knuckles.

“MOM!” he moaned as Annie yanked on his waist, sobbing and punching the glass ferociously. “Turn around! TURN AROUND! LET ME GO!”

“Alex, she’s gone!” Annie shrieked, pulling harder, tears flowing down her face. “Calm down! Please!”

The boy whipped around and socked Annie right in the kisser. The blow knocked her head against the door. Her head reeled as she gripped her nose tightly and cried out in pain.

Cynthia turned in her seat to see what the commotion was about when saw Alex unlock his door with shaking hands.

“NO, ALEX! DON’T—!”

With the car bulleting its way across wide, empty lanes, Alex flung open the car door, and without regard to the meters of asphalt blazing by before him, leapt out onto the freeway.

Cynthia screamed as she watched the boy’s legs buckle and his body slump to the ground upon contact with the asphalt just before he shot out of view. His limp figure was just disappearing in the distance as Annie sat back up, blood dripping from her left nostril and her eyes tightly knit.

“Where is he?” said the girl, coughing.

And then she opened her eyes and saw the open door flapping in the wind just before a loud bugling noise sounded from several miles away. Annie looked behind the car and saw the dot that was Alex fading with grey road while the foreboding Giratina slinked around skyscrapers and seared its way through buildings not far behind.

The former Champion in the front seat wasted no time. Her fingers slid down to her belt, where eight Pokéballs were clipped. She grabbed the third on the right side of her waist and hastily rolled down the window, her eyes watery and her make-up blotchy. While she did so, Annie leaned forward and grabbed the flailing door’s handle to slam it back shut.

“Garchomp, go get that idiot!” Cynthia shouted, tossing the Pokéball out her window.

The little sphere with black and yellow markings soared several feet behind the car before opening and spraying embers from its core. A beam shot out from the inside of its shell to the sky a moment before the Pokéball recoiled back into Cynthia’s hand extending out the window.

The beam coalesced into a series of particles that made up an indigo reptile, which spread a small pair of wings from its shoulders upon materialization and shot back down the freeway while its Trainer and the others sped in the opposite direction.

Garchomp’s hammerhead turbines whizzed mechanically as the wind passed through their slits. The orange-bellied dragon glided along a steady jet stream upon her dorsal fin-like arms, intense topaz eyes searching the road below.

Finally, Garchomp spotted the boy’s unconscious body approaching: Alex was lying spread-eagle on the road just a short distance away with scrapes and cuts visible all over his arms and face. The creature began to tier her way closer to the ground for a swift and smooth pick-up of the human.

Meanwhile, in the falling city, Giratina began ravaging the place more savagely than ever before. Screams were now audible across the expanse of the suburbs where houses were being blown to smithereens by a gravitational wave the Rogue Pokémon discharged from the flapping of its shadowy wings, a force comparable to the blast of an atomic bomb.

Farther behind, the heart of Oaken Falls had collapsed and become a decrepit wasteland of ash, bones, blood, and glass. Arms of half-living citizens crunched beneath the carnage twitched and reached above the surface just seconds before being toppled on by gargantuan steel frames that had once held towering giants together. Limbs rained down on the fissured streets, and the body count only continued to rise.

Smoke and noxious gases flooded the plain of the city and blotted out the sun, creating an atmosphere rivaling that of the infernal depths of Hell. Giratina gave a terrible screech as it munched on the corpses scattered about the massacre it had wrought, scarlet fluid and quivering intestines dripping from its sharp, black beak.

It was not as hungry as it was determined to make these people suffer to their last breath. It is what its master had willed, and so it carried on its duty with invigoration.

Now driving through the Viridian district, Lucario and Cynthia desperately searched exit signs passing overhead while Annie leaned against the back of the car, watching Giratina’s unfolding atrocities with terror and wiping her bloody nose. Saying she was worried would be an understatement.

However, she was not angry that Alex had taken out his frustration on her. On the contrary, she hoped with all her heart that the strange dragon-shark hybrid Pokémon Cynthia had released would return with the boy soon. Fear and trepidation commanded the rapid drumming of her heart, and she could hardly imagine what sort of injuries he had sustained, or even what kind of sick, twisted deaths people were suffering out there.

Annie shivered as she saw Giratina leap up from the ruins where Clear Creek Drive had once been to wreak havoc on another section of the city. She was baffled at the fact that thousands would be dead in only a matter of minutes. She felt as though she had left her body and had fallen into one of her worst nightmares. She could hardly comprehend the destruction unfurling before her very eyes.

Despite the chaos running rampant, there were two people in Oaken Falls Annie felt no remorse for: her own parents. Although Giratina was mercilessly ripping her hometown apart and taking thousands of innocent lives in the wake of its annihilation, she felt that those two had gotten their just dessert in the very end. Where had they been when she had taken her first steps? Where were they when she rode her first bike? Where were they when her period started?

Where had they been while she was maturing into an adolescent? The answer was always the same. They had shirked their duties as parents by living in retrospect and ignorance, and wasting away their days as if they would live forever.

Apparently, their days were now numbered.

But Annie’s thoughts quickly transitioned from contempt for her own parents to Alex’s devotion to his mother. When Annie had called him over to the window the night before, they had discussed Janice Gregory. When the girl had said that she seemed to be a very kind woman, Alex only half-heartedly agreed. She had been under the impression that he was indifferent to her up until the moment she found that he had socked her in the face and jumped out of the speeding car to go back for her.

What sort of relationship did he really have with her? Was it more complicated than she had thought? She had always assumed things about people, but from then on, she feared that depending on her assumptions would prove to be very dangerous in the future.

Millions were going to be slaughtered, according to Cynthia, and there was no telling what the future really had in store for them, a group who had avoided death only by a slight margin. Would they be able to keep up their luck much longer?

“I don’t see it,” Cynthia sighed, rapping on the dashboard with her fist.

<It must be further than you thought,> said Lucario, adjusting the rear-view mirror.

“What are you guys looking for?” Annie managed to croak.

“We need to take the Tohjo Falls exit,” Cynthia explained irritably. “Only problem is that I have no clue where it is along here. It’s somewhere in the Viridian district.”

“Why are we going to Johto?” Annie asked, leaning forward to face Cynthia. “You said that the Legendaries were going to wipe out the entire human race. Johto shouldn’t any different from Kanto.”

“The Legends will come for Johto eventually, yes,” said Cynthia, “but there are several reasons why I believe that they’ll finish Kanto off before the rest. This is probably the most ‘tainted’ of all the regions, as far as cruelty toward Pokémon goes—I have to explain later; there’s obviously no time. Just believe me when I say we’ll be safer in Johto…at least, until the gods set their eyes on it.”

“Is that what they’re doing? Judging regions by how much suffering they’ve caused to Pokémon?” said Annie, slightly irked. “There are tons of people out there who don’t deserve to die! There are people still fighting for the rights of Pokémon—people like you, Cynthia!”

“Well, I’m flattered. I suppose my speech back at the Oak Estate really hit home for you,” she said somewhat cynically. “But it doesn’t make a difference to the Legendaries whether or not I or anyone else supports life for Pokémon. If what the Myth of Veilstone says is true, they’ll kill us all: women, children, everyone. There will be no discrimination.”

At those words, Cynthia crossed her arms and turned away from Annie, who was just getting ****** off at the former Champion’s stubbornness. Was she going to be treated like this every time she asked the woman a question?

Suddenly, Cynthia’s eyes lit up. She jumped to her window and gazed outside.

Garchomp was trailing through the air behind the car with Alex’s flaccid body dangling from her strong arms. However, the fighter jet build of the Pokémon could not support the extra weight much longer.

The former Champion waved her hand over to the back door of the car, signaling for Garchomp to fly in next to them. The Pokémon swiftly obeyed and jetted forward to fly parallel to the car.

“Annie, open your door. Hurry,” Cynthia urged, looking down at the unconscious boy cradled in the dragon’s arms through her open window. “And thank you so much, Garchomp.”

“Gar!” the creature responded, carefully eyeing its flight path.

Annie turned to the right side of the car and opened the door, which refused to budge at first from the heavy wind resistance. Once it was completely ajar, Garchomp growled, an obvious warning for Annie to move back. The girl had just scooted into the next seat over as ordered, just before the Pokémon hurled Alex into the cab. The boy’s head landed in Annie’s lap, bruises on his cheeks and a deep cut in his forehead. Garchomp then slammed the door shut with her dorsal-finned arm.

The girl admired the creature for a moment, never having seen so many rare Pokémon in the past few hours than ever in her entire life.

Cynthia recalled the creature back into her Ultra Ball. She then groaned and pressed two fingers against her temples to ease an oncoming migraine while Annie consulted Alex’s neck for a pulse.

“He’s alive,” she declared, sighing in relief as she felt an artery throbbing beneath his sweaty skin.

“Great,” Cynthia replied, rubbing her head and closing her eyes tightly.

Annie ignored the woman’s bitterness and instead gazed into the boy’s serene face. He had seemed so aggressive and frightening moments ago. Now that he was unconscious, he was a perfect angel.

Without realizing it, the girl began to stroke Alex’s hair lightly, snagging on bits of rock that had been imbedded in his scalp. She removed them to the best of her ability, and then cringed at the gash across his forehead.

“This is going to need bandaging soon—”

<Oh, no.>

Cynthia turned to Lucario, dismissing her migraine. Annie looked up.

Not those words again.

<It’s Giratina,> said the Pokémon, looking into the rearview mirror, eyes wide in panic. <It’s coming.>

Cynthia and Annie turned around.

Sure enough, there was Giratina’s serpentine form snaking away from Oaken Falls and heading into the Viridian district of the city. Not only that, but it seemed to be flying above the same freeway that they were traversing in their ramshackle vehicle.

“Wait a minute,” said Cynthia, turning to Lucario and placing a hand on his shoulder, “Luc…get into the right lane.”

The Pokémon turned the wheel in said direction, moving the car over to the right. Cynthia turned around.

Giratina moved in the same direction.

“Shit,” Cynthia swore, eyes turning downward. “It’s following us.”

“Lucario! NO, WAIT!” Annie cried, poking her head between the front seats.

<What? What is it now?> Lucario demanded.

“You MISSED the exit! Oh, God—you missed it!”

The girl pointed back to where they had been before Lucario turned into the right lane. A green exit sign looming above the outstretched road labeled “Tohjo Falls Pass – 26 Kilometers” faded away into the distance where they should have taken a left.

“Oh, no! Luc, turn back around!” Cynthia screamed, banging her hands against the dash.

<I can’t! I told you, the brakes aren’t working!>

Suddenly, Giratina came soaring over the sign.

It began to pursue them, its grey body covered in soot and its head stained with blood. The heathen let out a horrible hiss, wings sweeping across the freeway. The humans in the car screamed while Lucario pushed on the gas pedal with all of his strength.

Then, without warning, the Rogue Pokémon vanished into thin air, leaving a wide expanse of freeway behind them once more.

“It’s gone!” Annie cried, relieved at the miracle.

But her foolish dreams were instantly shattered as they heard a bugling noise dead ahead.

Giratina had reappeared and was floating above the freeway in front of them, a black and violet shroud of mist spreading from its body. Then, with a loud screech, the creature unfurled its wings and sent the dark nebula crashing down upon them. Annie and Cynthia held each other as Luc jerked the wheel, trying to evade the blast.

Alex’s body fell onto the floor of the backseat area just as the vehicle barely avoided the Shadow Rush, which had scorched through the freeway’s foundation in the spot where they had been only seconds before. The ladies in the car sighed with exasperation, but were instantly thrown out of their comfort zone again when they felt a rumbling beneath their feet. At first, they thought that something was wrong with the car.

Then, they began to see cracks and fractures splitting across the road. Giratina cackled at their fate as it took flight once more into the desolate city, surely sending those humans to their demise.

In less than a minute, the freeway crumbled and lost its integrity. The road beneath the sputtering car began to tilt and slide downward. Everyone braced themselves as the vehicle went spinning out of control and the pavement below them collapsed. They went shooting through a gigantic chasm in the road, tumbling downward in a whirlwind of color and anguish.

As Annie was tossed around the backseat, she thought she saw the world outside her window being consumed by an ever-brightening light.

Then everything went black.

~*~​









Darkness.

Wait, is that a tree?

No…more than one. There are many trees.

It’s a forest.

The boy looks up and sees stars twinkling through a canopy of foliage.

He hears a dripping noise. His eyes come back down to Earth, attempting to adjust to so much darkness. Moving his foot around on the ground, he can feel rubbery grass beneath his feet. Somewhere in the distance, oceanic waves are washing up on a shore.

But here, there is only a forest.

The boy takes a step forward. More grass. He squints to see what lies ahead. At first, he can only make out the silhouettes of more trees. Then, he realizes he’s in a clearing.

There’s a shallow pool of water glistening in the middle, just over a small hump of land.

The boy sees the stars reflected in its magnificence.

He runs over the small hump to the edge of the water. He gazes down into the pool.

He sees that his reflection’s tawny hair has been tossed aside, a ragged mess. His blue eyes tremble upon the sight of a deep gash on his forehead. The boy lifts a shuddering hand to touch the wound—

“You’re here,” says his reflection in a voice that does not belong to him.

The boy stumbles backward. He breathes heavily, heart racing. He hears the voice again, but dares not approach the water.

“The Monster knows you’re there,” it coos, chuckling. “But don’t worry, young child. The Monster does not wish you harm. Come back to the Monster. Let It see you again.”

The boy shivers.

“What are you?” he shouts at the water, causing ripples to flow across its surface.

“Lower your voice!” the voice from the pool cries, coughing. “Just come here!”

Suddenly, a strong gust pushes against the boy’s back. He finds himself staggering over to the shallow pond once more against his will. He keeps his eyes shut and head lifted even as his feet reach the edge.

“The Monster knows you are afraid. The Monster didn’t know you better before. It apologizes. Just look down. Open your eyes.”

The boy refuses to comply. Then, the voice moans from below.

“Please,” it says with a hint of sadness. “Please open your eyes…and look down. Do it now. Do it for the Monster.”

Without realizing it, the boy opens his eyes. He sees the stars, but can’t look down.

“Good, good,” the voice croons. “Now, please...please, let the Monster see your face.”

“Why should I?” says the boy, stuttering and continuing to stare at the stars. “You’re…you’re the one who’s been giving me nightmares. You’re the one that followed me from that old inn…in Canalave.”

“The Monster wants to help you,” says the voice. “But the Monster is sorry. Can you forgive It? Can you forgive the Monster?”

The boy listens for any screaming, any bones cracking. Nothing. He listens for the sound of ripping flesh to bombard his hearing. Nothing.

“It’s safe here,” the voice interrupts softly. “Look down.”

A morbid curiosity comes over the boy. He slowly lowers his eye level to meet the trees once again, then to the other side of the pond. Then, with one final bow, his eyes fall to the edge of the water.

A pair of aquamarine eyes stares back at him, blinking for a moment as the hush sound of waves washing up on a beach returns.

“Thank you,” the voice from the water says coolly.

The eyes look up at the boy’s face. They are eerily calming.

“You’re hurt,” says the voice.

“Yeah, my…my forehead,” the boy replies, reaching to his gash.

“No,” says the voice. “Your heart. It’s…broken.”

The boy’s eyes screw up for a moment, when out of nowhere, a wind comes rushing across the pond. The aquamarine eyes vanish in ripples, but another face begins to emerge from the small waves.

The boy stares down. Tears form in his eyes. His mother’s reflection beams up at him, pale and smiling.

“Hello, Alex,” she says quietly, eyes soulless and empty.

“Mom,” Alex sputters, dropping down to his knees and reaching toward the water.

“Good-bye, Alex…”

“No! Mom, please! Mom! Don’t go!”

But in another ripple, she ebbs away, leaving only the stars.

The boy hunches over the pond, neck craning outward and shoulders shaking. He sobs, hot tears flowing down his face and trickling into the water. Several pleas for his mother’s return escape his throat in raspy cries of agony. She does not come back.

Mother—the name you call the one who takes care of you. Mother—the name of the one you came to take for granted until it was too late.

“Mom,” Alex whispers, face scrunched up and eyes clamped tightly shut. “Mommy… Mommy…I love you…you…you can’t be gone…”

Alex’s tears continue to fall into the water. The boy does not realize it at first, but as his tear ducts begin to dry up, the darkness in the water is distilling. Tear after tear plunks the surface of the pond, unveiling the ink that hides a shape below its murky depths. It had seemed so shallow at first, but the pond is so deep now that a figure appears to be standing underwater.

The figure looks up. Although most of its body is obscured, Alex can see a long, white hood trailing from a cavity where the two aquamarines lie, watching the boy intently. Alex becomes furious.

“Why are you torturing me?” the boy cries, sobbing. “Why are you making me suffer?”

“I’m not making you suffer.
They’re making you suffer, just like they made me,” says the figure below the water, its voice low and harsh. “They called me the Monster. Look what they’ve done to me. Do you see what I’ve become?”

Then, the figure begins to rise. Alex steps back, heart racing and tears still trailing down his cheeks.

He watches as a pitch-black creature transcends the pond without ever breaking the surface. Its hourglass-shaped body hovers on a gnarled skirt, and a red crest resembling a pair of jagged jaws rests upon its rounded shoulders. Two sets of claws hang from its shoulders like limp daggers.

The white, wispy hood over its sharp eyes wags in the subtle breeze.

<I want to help you, Alex Gregory,> says the creature, holding out its claws to the boy.

“Help me what?” asks the boy, trembling.

<To learn the truth,> says the Monster, gliding closer to him. <You cannot fight them on your own.>

As the creature advances upon Alex, the boy starts to step back.

“What are you talking about?” Alex cries, wiping his face. “I’m not fighting anyone!”

<But the fight has already begun,> says the Monster, reaching its claws out to the boy.

“No, get away from me! Get away from me! GET AWAY FROM—!”

The creature thrusts its palm against Alex’s loose lips, muffling screams that arise from his throat. The boy becomes paralyzed as the Monster stares into his eyes with intensity.

<Allow me to bestow my gift,> it says quietly.

Suddenly, dark, black veins start to spread across Alex’s face from where the Monster’s hand rests. The boy’s eyes roll back into his head as an overwhelming cold takes hold of him, a cold which soon crawls down his very spine.

<You will see the truth,> says the Monster, increasing the pressure of its palm against the boy’s mouth as the black veins overtake his trembling face. <You will see the memories and dreams of those closest to you—just as I see them.>

The Monster tilts it head curiously as it watches Alex’s blackened face twitching. The whites of the boy’s eyes glaze over in madness.

<Can you hear me, Alex Gregory?> the creature asks, eyes narrowed. <You are about to witness the origin of my eternal suffering.>

The blood vessels in Alex’s eyes begin to burst, red billowing across them like curtains. His head throbs with a sweltering pain. In his mind, he begs for death.

<You are about to enter
my dream,> says the Monster. <My nightmare.>

Alex’s vision pales from scarlet to black. The throbbing ceases. The boy closes his eyes.

The sound of the ocean fades away. The sounds of the swaying trees and the Monster’s voice evanesce.

For a moment, there is silence.

And then Alex opens his eyes once more.

His sight is filled with the bright glare of twilight on the horizon of a great mountain range. He blinks rapidly, trying to take in the light of the scene. He’s standing on top of a mountain himself. He soon sees the other snow-capped peaks surrounding him with shrouds of mist encircling their tips. He turns his head from west to north to east, spotting three shimmering lakes off in the distance.

They’re beautiful.

Then, a hush murmur of voices approaches from behind. The boy tries to turn his head to look, but he retains no control. He is trapped in the skin of another body.

But whose body?

<Good evening, brother.>

Suddenly, Alex is wheeled around by an unseen force. He feels his neck crack from the tremendous strain pulling on him, and he feels himself cry out loud.

But his cry is not his own. It is something of harmonic bells chiming together to form a wail like no other. This body of his writhes around helplessly, unable to break free from the force keeping him at bay.

Now assembled in front of him on this lonely cliff is a group of dark silhouettes, tall and daunting in the pale light of dusk. There are four of them—three of which stand on either side of a central figure, whose physique appears smaller and more slender than the rest.

The figure lets out a triumphant laugh, the sound of bells trumpeting from its mouth.

It sounds just like his own cry.

What’s going on?

<What is the meaning of this, Arceus?> a regal voice sounds from Alex’s mind. <Unhand me at once!>

<I am afraid I cannot do such a thing,> says the central figure, a long hood-like appendage above its head flailing in the wind. <You see, brother, you are under arrest for crimes too horrific to speak of.>

<Crimes? What crimes? I have done nothing out of the conduct of the Council’s bidding! This is not like you!> Alex’s voice cries.

Then, the three larger figures guarding Arceus shift and growl as they hear a whizzing noise heading directly toward their position at the peak of the mountain.

Arceus remains still even as a new figure arrives, hovering from the sky down between Alex and the dark group. Its body resembles that of a feline with stub-like ears, long, padded rabbit’s feet, and an elongated tail of elegance that ends in an oval-shaped tip.

<My Lord, what is this all about?> the new creature shouts in a clearly feminine voice, and an incredibly infuriated one at that. <I came as soon as I heard from the others of your intentions!>

<What intentions? My Lady, what has he said?> Alex’s voice begs of the cat-like creature.

The new arrival turns toward Alex, facing him with shining sapphire eyes.

<He intends to destroy you!>

<Enough, Mew,> says Arceus, taking a step forward.

Mew turns around and faces the God Pokémon, who glares at her intensely from the confines of his graceful hood. The golden chakra wheel pinned to his abdomen gleams in the twilight.

<I will not destroy him. I will merely do what Destiny wills me to do,> he barks, not attempting to mask his anger. <There can only be one of Us on this planet.>

<This is NOT your jurisdiction to uphold,
Arceus!> Mew screams, flying toward the God and sneering into his shrouded face. <I hold jurisdiction over all living things, including our own kin! You cannot make a decision over Arciadra’s fate without my approval, nor without the rest of the Council’s approval!>

<I may do as I please, Mew,> Arceus slowly replies.

<What has happened to you?> Mew weeps, grabbing the equine creature’s head and holding it with shaking paws. <My Lord, I have heard whispers of mutiny, but have thought nothing of them—until now! Why should you be compelled to punish your own flesh and blood? Why are you doing this to your own brother?>

<Although we shared the same womb inside the Celestial Egg,> Arceus spits, <it was I who was destined to govern this world and maintain its laws. Arciadra and I cannot rule as equals. There cannot be two of Us.>

<Arceus! Brother! What are you going to do?> Arciadra cries, Alex feeling his body thrashing about wildly. <What are you going to do?>

Mew turns her head toward Alex just as Arceus also looks up to meet his sibling’s painful gaze with glowing green eyes.

<I am sending you to another realm,> the God declares, earning a few humble roars from the titans standing beside him. <There, you will reign over the dreams of those pathetic humans. Do as you wish, for they matter little to me.>

<How DARE you!> Mew screams, whipping around and facing Arceus. <How DARE you call my own creations
pathetic!>

Arceus merely snuffs at the little Legendary’s remark.

<If it was my decision, I would have never allowed another race of sentient beings to inhabit my world,> the God replies heartlessly. <But since they are already here as a result of the foolish abuse of your powers, I must wait for a sufficient excuse to wipe them out completely.>

Mew eyes Arceus with unadulterated hatred.

<The Council would never comply with such a terrible notion,> she hisses.

<My friends here beg to differ,> Arceus replies.

The four titans guarding the God roar once more in approval. Arciadra’s body quivers in fright. Alex can feel his heart racing at a thousand beats per minute. The cold-blooded God Pokémon stares down the floating pink cat.

<Mew,> says Arceus, <I hereby charge you with treason and send you into exile, never to return to Mount Coronet again.>

<NO!> Mew shouts as an aura of azure fire sets her tiny body ablaze.

Arceus merely watches as a sphere of psychokinetic energy begins pulsating from the cat’s body.

<YOU TREACHEROUS DOG! YOU UNFAITHFUL COWARD—>

Then, Arceus quickly stamps its foreleg. In a blink of light, the irate Mew disappears.

Arceus then glances up at Arciadra with utter loathing.

<Giratina,> says the God to one of the titans, unsympathetic in tone, <come forward.>

Alex feels Arciadra’s heart drop as the all too familiar Renegade Pokémon stomps into view, six leviathan legs supporting its giant centipede-like body and heavily armored head.

<I am in all things obedient to your wishes, Master Arceus,> Giratina croons in a high, chilling voice, clicking its beak and spreading its vile wings before Arciadra.

<Take the Monster out of my sight,> the God commands, glaring across the cliff at Alex. <Let him know the meaning of misery.>

<If it pleases you, my Lord,> Giratina screeches.

Then, before Alex can recollect the entire scene preceding Arceus’ final judgment, Giratina sends a wave of violet energy crashing into Arciadra. The blast throws the betrayed god into a vortex of flames and darkness. A distant voice chuckles.

<Let him rot in Hell.>

Alex feels himself tumbling, tumbling deeper into the depths of a dimension void of light.

A howling wind whistles in his ears, causing his eardrums to pop.

Blood trickles from the lobes resting above his head.

But the pain suddenly subsides.

The howling wind is gone.

It is replaced by the rhythmic ambience of ocean waves and trees swaying.

<Open your eyes.>

Alex quickly does as the voice says, and finds himself standing in front of the Monster, face-to-face. He is back in the forest again. The moon is still hovering above the clearing, just as before.

“You’re…you were…a god?” Alex stutters, trying to grasp the mind trip he just took. “You were a Legendary Pokémon?”

The Monster blinks. The creature then swivels around toward the pond and bows its head.

<I was once Arciadra, the brother of Arceus, Lord of the Beginning,> says the poor creature in its deep, curdled voice. <I was his equal. We were cut from the same cloth, as it were.>

Alex stares at the creature for a minute, dumbfounded.

Then, he takes a step forward, unsure of what to do next.

“But he betrayed you,” Alex remarks, approaching the Monster’s back. “I saw it. I was there, like I was in your body the entire time.”

<Yes,> says the creature, sighing. <You relived my worst memory.>

“And so he sent you to this…realm of dreams?” Alex asks, walking around the creature to stand by its side. “Where I saw the cathedral, and the black towers?”

<Yes.>

“But why were you torturing people?” says the boy with a hint of wariness.

The creature turns its sad head toward him.

<When you’ve been locked away in a world of dreams—and nightmares—for centuries,> he replies coolly, <everything is downside-up. You lose all traces of sanity left in you…and become something of a nightmare yourself.>

Alex surveys the Monster’s hourglass-shaped body and the red spikes jutting around its collarbone. The creature catches his gaze.

<I haven’t always look like this,> it says, hood over its eyes flapping quietly. <I used to look very much like my brother…until he sent me to that god-forsaken place.>

“Wait a minute,” Alex says, moving his head around and staring at the surrounding scenery. “Aren’t we there? Aren’t we in the realm of nightmares now?”

<No, Alex Gregory. We are within the confines of your fragile mind,> the Monster replies. <You remember that night at the Harbor Inn well enough, don’t you? It was I who interrupted your sleep and invaded your mind, through a gateway that connected my world to yours.>

The boy remains silent for a moment.

“It was your voice, then,” Alex says, trembling at the memory of that horrible night. “You…you…”

<Yes?>

“You wanted to rip me…you wanted to tear my soul apart. That’s what you said.”

<I beg of you, Alex, forgive me,> says the Monster, turning to the boy, pleading with him. <Anything you’ve heard in the past was not Arciadra speaking. That was not me. That was the Monster, a product of my decaying consciousness.>

Alex stares at the pitch-black creature incredulously.

<Listen. Spending the past few days in your mind, happening upon all your memories and feelings, has reawakened my own,> it says, reaching out to Alex and placing its claws on his shoulder. <You opened a door in me that I never thought would be opened again. You saved me, Alex.>

“But
you invaded my mind,” the boy replies, frightened, but livid. “I never asked to be the residence for a Legendary Pokémon.”

<But I can help you,> says the creature.

Alex looks at the Monster. He looks skeptical.

“How?”

<Hone the gift I have given you,> says the creature. <Learn to see into the minds of your colleagues. Only then can I be restored.>

The Monster takes its claws off of Alex’s shoulder and balls them into a fist.

<We can stop the oncoming bloodshed. When you and I are one, not even Arceus will be able to stop us.>

Alex’s eyes widen. He glares at the creature.

“So
that’s what this is all about,” says the boy, snickering. “Revenge. You want to use me as a vessel to my world so you can take Arceus down.”

<Don’t you see, Alex Gregory?> the Monster cries, holding up its arms. <It was Arceus who wrote the Myth of Veilstone. I know you are familiar with it. It was all in here.>

The creature leans forward and points to the boy’s forehead. Alex shudders.

<Didn’t you see Arceus’ contempt for the human race?> said the Monster, gliding back and forth at the edge of the pond. <He knew the humans would cross the line eventually, and he would be there when they did, more than eager to pull the trigger. He is the one who has declared war on your people, rather than negotiate a peaceful settlement with them.>

Alex lets the information sink in. It all makes sense now. With Mew, the Guardian of Life, out of the picture, Arceus would be free to do as he pleased. He would get the human-less world he always dreamed of.

“The Council that Mew mentioned,” Alex says, staring up at the starry sky. “Is it an assembly of some sort?”

<Yes. The Council is an assembly of the gods, or the Legendaries, as your people call them,> the creature replies, crossing its arms. <To my knowledge, they have not met since the world was created. They have all taken roost in various parts of your world, falling into deep slumbers; sleeping after their heavy toil was complete—until Arceus called upon them from the Hall of Origin once more.>

“Hall of Origin?”

<The meeting place of the Council, at the summit of Mount Coronet in the Sinnoh region.>

“But aren’t any of the Legendaries opposed to Arceus’ plans?” Alex asks, brow furrowed. “Will no one object?”

<Never underestimate Arceus,> the Monster warns the boy, wagging a claw at him. <He is God. Fighting him would be like an ant trying to fight
you…unless…you were his equal.”

The creature unfolds its arms. Alex looks at it, realization creeping in.

“You’re his brother...his equal,” the boy says. “And you’re...the only one who can stop him?”

The wraith nods.

<You need me to save your precious people,> says the Monster.

“And you need
me to get back at Arceus,” says Alex. “But what happens after you’ve stopped him?”

<I will overthrow him and reform the land in accordance with my beliefs. You won’t see me rendering cities to ash to solve the problems of the world.>

“But what about me?” Alex asks, bowing his head. “My mom is…gone. Who will I go back to? I don’t have a home anymore.”

The boy bites his lip, restraining tears as the memory of his mother, oblivious to the destruction behind her, standing on the porch, waiting for him, flooded his mind.

Suddenly, he hears screaming. He remembers flinging the car door open.

He wanted to go back to her, to save her.

But it was too late…

<You forget easily, boy,> says the creature. <Do you not have one parent that survives?>

Alex blinked at the Monster.

Suddenly, it all became so clear.

His father was still alive. But he was all the way in Olivine City…in Johto.

Johto.

Where Cynthia, Lucario, Annie, and he were last headed.

The boy suddenly feels the dark creature that was once Arciadra grasp his chin and lift it to look into his sweet, blue eyes.

<It’s time for you to go back, Alex Gregory.>

The Monster then turns the boy’s head toward the pond. It leans over and whispers.

<Go forth. At night, hone your new ability. You will know how to use it when the occasion presents itself.>

Alex looks down at his reflection and that of the Monster in the water at his feet.

“Will I see you again?” Alex asks, never taking his eyes off of the Monster’s reflection.

And for a moment, he thought he caught a glimpse of the creature smiling beneath that mysterious hood.

<Most assuredly,> it replies, placing its arm around the boy. <We will return here after you have completed your—let us call it—training. Yes. Then, we will become one.>

The creature then relinquishes its grip on Alex and encourages him to step into the pond.

<Return to your world now. Immerse yourself. You will discover much.>

The boy obeys and slowly walks into the pond. He expects the water to slosh beneath his feet, but instead finds himself stumbling into something deeper.

Something much deeper than he knows…

<Oh, and…Alex.>

The boy turns around. The creature is gone.

<What happened here is exclusively between you and me,> said the disembodied voice of Arciadra amongst the trees. <Tell no one of our secret, lest the world should fall into greater peril.>

And before Alex knows it, the water has already reached up to his neck.

The boy then takes a deep breath, and plunges into darkness below.

He becomes consumed by it.


~*~​

The freeway was completely decimated.

Anyone attempting to enter Oaken Falls would find themselves whirling off a cliff of rubble and smashed road signs and into an area overgrown with maples and mossy vegetation beneath the place where the road once stood.

The screams and the tears had stopped just as quickly as they had come: Giratina was nowhere to be found amidst the ruins of the cold, shivering metropolis, leaving only automated alarms and the crackling of thousands of fires to eat up the silence.

Not a single soul had been exempt from Giratina’s butchery.

Except her.

Deep within the forgotten woods below that lonesome freeway, a frail old woman garbed in rags and leaves jabbed her knotty walking stick in the direction of a large branch protruding from the side of a massive tree. She barked unintelligibly as ashes came falling through the cross-woven canopy onto her head. When no response came, the woman barked again.

A blue Pokémon answered her primitive call, emerging from the thicket on webbed feet with a linen cloth wrapped around its head like a turban. A hint of blood trickled down the side of its duck-like bill. Paranoia reverberated in its ruby eyes.

The old woman growled from behind her wooden mask. The Golduck turned toward her, noticing she had mud clotted in her graying red hair, which flowed down to her back.

“Nah! Heh!” the woman moaned weakly, jabbing her stick at the tree again.

The Golduck blinked, and then glanced up at the branch she was motioning to.

The Pokémon’s heart fluttered.

Rocking slowly upon the creaking tree limb was what appeared to be a rusty hunk of metal with wheels attached to it, which spun helplessly against a transparent road. Not only that, but there appeared to be something inside the trashed car—something that almost looked like another Pokémon.

As the elderly woman let out another garbled slur of incomprehensible words, Golduck stepped into the shadow of the teetering car trapped in the tree above, avoiding the broken glass and oil slick upon the grass so that it could stand in a position with the vehicle clearly in sight.

The Pokémon lifted its webbed hands to the sides of its turban, closing its red eyes and humming softly. Soon, a purple light beneath the linen around its head silhouetted the folds of the material and began to course its way down the rest of Golduck’s body.

In the tree, the vehicle gave a violent shake just before the same purple light consumed it entirely. Golduck began concentrating all of its thoughts on the car’s mass, sending waves of telekinetic energy into its hull, trying to communicate with the fabric of atoms, from which all things are made.

Then, the car lurched forward a bit. The strain was so heavy on Golduck’s mind that it felt as though its brain had been trampled by a herd of Tauros. Watching the Pokémon’s cringing face and sensing its despair, the old woman gave a whoop, as if to cheer it on. Golduck gave a grunt to acknowledge her support.

Taking a deep breath, Golduck began to squeeze its head with even more pressure. The purple flames now dancing outside the car’s form flared a few inches as Golduck moved it closer to the edge of the branch with its mind.

Just a little further...

Suddenly, the branch gave way and snapped off the tree like a twig. Golduck’s eyes flashed open as the car came tumbling to the ground—

Then, pupils dilated, Golduck watched as the vehicle stopped and suspended itself in midair, the foot-long grass blades tickling the underbelly of the rusty chariot.

With its remaining mental stamina, the Golduck pulled its arms away from its head and lulled the car down like a flight conductor orchestrating a safe landing for it upon the grass. Immediately after touchdown, the Pokémon collapsed onto the soil and rolled onto its back, sharp bill open to allow air to flow into its lungs.

The masked woman limped over to her faithful friend and patted it on the stomach. However, she let it rest for a moment and regain its strength while she stepped forward and investigated the car.

She poked her wooden mask into the open window the driver’s side and sniffed the interior before laying eyes on the creature in the driver’s seat. Its head had fallen back against the moldy chair, long, narrow, dog-like snout pointed up. In the backseat were two children pinned against the passenger’s side by a long, metal rod that had shot through the trunk and into the cab. Several Pokéballs were scattered on the floorboard at their feet.

Then, the woman spotted a fourth body in the vehicle with its blonde head smashed against the dashboard and arms draped limply at its sides. She scurried over to the other side of the car and quickly opened the door.

She lifted up the head of the last stranger and peered into the gaunt, bruised face of Cynthia Athanasiadi.

The woman let out a stifled cry and dropped her stick before rushing away from the car, hands flailing in the air.

“Gawl-dock! Nell nee! Ah, how! Ah how!”

~*~

(Continued in Next Post)
 

CHeSHiRe-CaT

A Curious Breed
(Continued from Previous Post)

~*~​

Bright lights…faded in and out…

Voices beyond the mist…they were close…

The memories started to return...the woods, the pond…

“Quick, get over here! This one’s waking!”

A scuffle of footsteps clacked from across a large room.

“Please go let the girl in the lobby know.”

Alex felt freezing fingers rest upon his hand. He blinked his eyes open, adjusting to fluorescent bulbs shining overhead with glaring, artificial light. His vision was blurry, but he could see two people hovering above him. One was just leaving, but the other remained rooted to the spot.

As the lines of a face and clothes became clearer, Alex could see a wild burgundy-haired girl beaming at him with a pair of gorgeous hazel eyes, sighing in relief. The boy sized her up for a moment, seeing she was about two or three years older than he, and was wearing a sterile-white hospital uniform. She also had several piercings on her right ear and a small stud in her nose. From the looks of her and the headphones dangling around her neck, she must have been a punk-rocker nurse.

“Hey there, little guy,” she said softly, rubbing his hand. “My name’s Joy. What’s yours?”

Alex turned away from the girl and found he was lying on a stretcher beneath layers of cotton blankets. He then saw more identical beds lined in rows around the room with walls bathed in comforting shades of blue. Clouds and caricatures of flying Pokémon were painted everywhere, too.

The boy seemed at ease, but soon realized that his bearings were lost. He bolted upright in his bed, causing the punk Nurse Joy to jump backward. She appeared just as startled as he was. The two stared at each other for a long time, breathing heavily. Suddenly, Alex remembered his manners and tried to calm himself down, for her sake.

“My…my name is Alex,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Alex Gregory.”

The girl put a hand to her breast and took a few cautionary steps toward him.

“I’m so sorry I scared you,” said Joy sympathetically. “We’ve been waiting for you to wake for nearly twelve hours.”

“Wait, where am I?” said Alex, leaning forward to intercept Joy’s presence at his bedside.

“This is the Pewter City Hospital, kid,” said the girl, smiling.

“Pewter…Pewter City?” Alex asked, voice faltering.

What were they doing in Pewter City? Weren’t they supposed to be in Johto? And that hard knock he took back on the freeway seemed so long ago…had it really been twelve hours? It seemed more like days.

“Is something wrong?” asked the girl, sitting on the bed next to him.

“I’m sorry,” said the boy, shaking his head free of thoughts and putting a hand to his forehead, where he found a bandage plastered. “I’m…so confused right now.”

“Where are you from?” Joy added.

“Oaken Falls.”

“So...it’s true,” she said, turning away from him to stare at the ceiling blankly. “You were so fortunate… It’s gone now. Completely wiped out.”

“I know,” Alex groaned, lying back against the stretcher. “I saw it. I saw my…my—”

Janice filled all his thoughts: all those times as a child when she came home from work and made special family dinners for him and his father. She always made his favorites.

He even remembered the night his father stormed out of the house after a heated argument with his mother, and she was there to hold him and to comfort him.

“Listen to me,” she had told him, cradling the weeping Alex in her arms. “Just because your father and I say nasty things to each other doesn’t mean we both don’t love you, honey. We love you more than you can possibly understand… You’re everything to us. We would never want to hurt you.”

He remembered when they were in the car, driving to their would-be home. She had changed so much as Alex had gotten older. But for a moment, she let her true self lost beneath years of business experience shine through, wanting to please her only son.

She said that after they settled down, they might get a Pokémon. That idea had lit up Alex’s world for the first time in years. To have his own Pokémon was something he had only dreamed about. His father had owned Pokémon in the past, as a Trainer, and the boy had always wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Alex began crying. He lurched over his lap and let the tears flow. Nurse Joy grasped his sides and held him tightly in her arms. As he sobbed, the teenage girl rocked him back and forth, whispering softly in his ear.

“It’s all right, now,” she said, tears forming in her own eyes. “You’ve been through a lot. I can tell. I don’t know what happened there or why, but I know it was horrible. No one should ever have to live through that kind of experience.”

Then, across the room, a door opened. Alex looked up.

There was an older nurse standing in the doorframe.

Next to her was Anneliese Valsign, face scuffed up and her hair let down.

Without realizing what he was doing, Alex leapt from Nurse Joy’s embrace and sprinted across the room to Annie. He flung his arms about her and buried his face in her shoulder, howling uncontrollably.

The girl was shocked from his reaction to her appearance, but nevertheless, she wrapped her arms around his back and pressed against him lightly, allowing him to cry on her shoulder. With one hand, she stroked his hair and laughed in disbelief.

“I never thought you’d wake up,” Annie sputtered, holding Alex tenderly.

“Me neither,” Alex said, voice muffled against the fabric of the girl’s clothes. “God, I’m so sorry I…I punched you in the face.”

Nurse Joy smiled from across the room at the touching reunion. Annie laughed at the words that spilled from the boy’s mouth, crying with him.

“All is forgiven,” she said, sniffing. “Just promise me one thing.”

“What?” said the boy, lifting his head and wiping his tears.

“Please don’t jump out of another speeding car again,” she said, smiling.

The boy laughed and hugged her even tighter.

“And promise me you’ll be my friend for life. I never want to be without a familiar face again.”

The girl nodded and accepted Alex’s embrace.

“Forever, Alex. Always.”

For more than two minutes, the two kids just stood there, holding each other without ever letting go. They never wanted to let go. Only a day of getting to know one another suddenly became an eternal bond of friendship between the two, in regard to how quickly the horrific things they had witnessed came and went. After all, with everyone in Oaken Falls they knew and loved gone, they clung to that which remained: themselves. They wept for their losses, and treasured each passing second that they had spent together.

The lake of ice had shattered. There would be no barriers between the from then on.

They would no longer be strangers.

“Excuse me.”

Annie and Alex let go for a moment and turned to Nurse Joy, who had interrupted them ever so delicately. They smiled to reassure the girl that they were not offended.

“Would you…like to see your other friend?” said Joy slowly.

Alex’s eyes flickered with fear.

Cynthia.

If Annie hadn’t convinced the boy to come with her to the Oak Estate the night before, they would have never met the heroine who delivered them from disaster. The thought of their new protector being incapacitated scared Alex. What would they do without her?

“Is she all right?” Alex implored, looking worried.

“She’s fine, Alex,” Annie replied, putting her arm around the boy. “She’s sleeping in another room.”

“Does she…still have the diary?” Alex asked in a low voice.

Annie nodded reassuringly, and then turned to Nurse Joy.

“I think it would be best if we left her alone with Lucario for a little while,” said the girl. “He knows her much better than we do. We don’t want to impose on that.”

“If you say so,” said the nurse, walking past them and standing outside. “If you two want to hang in the lounge, I’m cool with that. Just ring the bell at the counter if you need anything, okay?”

Joy then held the door open for them, allowing the kids to pass through and find their way into the empty lobby. The nurse then disappeared into another hallway beyond a black granite countertop, escorted by a large, pink Pokémon with a nurse’s cap seated on its head.

Alex gasped at the room’s beautiful arrangement.

Indeed, the lobby was very classy. Big, leather chairs sat upon the marble floor next to a fireplace in one corner. In another, there was a polished chess table near some antique wooden dressers. A large tele-PC sat in the far right of the room, looking rather dusty these days.

Annie and Alex made their way over to the chairs by the fireplace. As they made their way over, Alex looked through tall windows carved into the side of the building that allowed the dim light of sunset to pour through the glass and flood the room with its ember glow.

“This place is amazing!” he cried as they sunk into two of the leather chairs huddled near the roaring fire.

“It used to be a Pokémon Center,” Annie said, running a finger through her hair. “But like most centers, it lost business when the League died and the local gyms became vacant. I guess it’s just a regular hospital now, privately-owned and all.”

For a moment, there was silence. Annie turned and looked at Alex.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He met her gaze, then closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nostrils.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

Annie sighed and stared into the fire.

“I’m so sorry,” she said quietly. “You lost your mom. I tried to stop you, but I didn’t want you to get hurt, either. You must understand that.”

“Annie…what about your parents?” the boy replied, eyes opening and gazing into the fire as well. “You…don’t you miss them?”

“No.”

Alex sat up straight in the chair. He watched Anneliese carefully. Her face was well-lit by the orange glow of dusk, but she held no trace of remorse in her expression. She grabbed the small, blue PokéNav from her belt and looked down upon it.

“I never told you about my parents, Alex,” she said dully. “They were irresponsible jerks. I hardly even knew them. I would have been shamed to introduce them to you.”

Annie glanced up at the boy, then to the PokéNav again. She laughed.

“What? What’s so funny?” he said with all seriousness.

“Oh, well, I’m fairly surprised this thing survived that wreck we were in, just as I’m surprised we made it out alive.”

“Wreck? What wreck?”

“Oh, Alex, you should have seen it,” said the girl, leaning toward the boy and watching him anxiously. “Cynthia released this dragon Pokémon that went back and scooped you off the freeway. But then Giratina tracked us down and blew a giant hole in the road. We went tumbling through the freeway.”

“So that’s why,” Alex said, looking back into the fire. “That’s why we never got to Johto…”

“Cheer up, man!” Annie exclaimed, throwing up her arms. “We’re lucky to even be alive! The nurses said some ragged hobo came in here with a Golduck and dumped us on the floor.”

“What?”

“That’s right. Complete strangers, out of the blue, rescued us and brought us here,” Annie replied, though looking a bit puzzled. “But I can’t stop wondering how someone could haul three humans and a Pokémon from the Viridian district all the way to Pewter City. We must have crashed at least ten kilometers from here.”

“That is…weird,” Alex murmured. “Why would someone just…save us and then vanish, without leaving notice?”

“Speaking of, er…stuff vanishing,” Annie said nervously, juggling the stolen PokéNav in her hot little hands, “I have something to tell you. It’s…about me and my—”

“Oh, there you are!”

A plump nurse came waddling out of nowhere and appeared between the teens, accompanied by another one of those pink Pokémon with a large pouch in its front, occupied by a shiny egg. Annie stopped twiddling with the PokéNav and clipped it back onto her jeans.

“Chansey!” the pink Pokémon cried, reaching deep into its pouch.

“Already up and walking, are we?” the nurse asked Alex, beaming at him.

“Yes, ma’am,” said the boy. “Thank you for taking care of us.”

“Yes, we appreciate it,” Annie grumbled, slightly irked at her interruption.

“Oh, it’s no problem at all!” the woman laughed. “We just came here to give you your Pokémon back, fully healed.”

“WHA?!”

Chansey pulled two Pokéballs from its pouch. The teens instantly recognized them from the wear and tear on their exteriors: they were the little spheres they had found in Professor Oak’s laboratory.

“Oh, those aren’t ours,” Alex began to say, but Annie quickly interjected and cut him off, jumping from her seat and walking toward the Chansey with anticipation.

“How thoughtful of you!” said Annie merrily, accepting the two Pokéballs from Chansey. “We almost thought we lost them!”

“Well, they were found on your persons when that stranger came and dropped you off,” said the woman to them both, snapping her fingers at Chansey to retreat back behind the counter. “We figured it would be customary to heal your Pokémon. We haven’t had Trainers in here for years!”

The nurse suddenly became pale. She shut her eyes tightly, then opened them again.

“I’ve been watching the news in the back room,” she whispered to them. “Do you know what happened there...in Oaken Falls?”

Annie, Pokéballs in hand, looked down at Alex in his seat. He flashed her a knowing glance.

They both understood that this lady would never be able to handle the truth. In fact, they were almost certain that rest of the world would not be ready for the truth, either.

“We’re not sure,” Annie replied to the nurse, returning to her leather chair and placing the little red and white spheres in her lap. “We were…on our way to Tohjo Falls for some sight-seeing, when all of a sudden, the road just collapsed.”

“Yeah,” Alex replied coolly, playing along with Annie’s story. “Who knows? It might have been terrorists.”

“Or those environmental extremists, I’ll bet!” the nurse exclaimed, clacking her tongue and walking away from the teens. “They’ve been trying to get back at those big corporate conglomerates…”

Once the woman was out of earshot and went into the back room of the ward, Alex turned to glare at Annie and eye the Pokéballs viciously.

“You can’t just do that!” he snapped.

“Do what?” Annie remarked, smirking.

“Those aren’t our Pokémon, and you know it,” Alex retaliated, facing her angrily. “Cynthia said they were gifts for the gods.”

“Cool it, small fry,” said Annie, batting a hand at the boy and lifting the Pokéballs into view. “It’s not like I’m going to take them or anything.”

She rubbed her thumb against the button in the center of one of the spheres.

The girl’s face broke out into a grin.

“But maybe,” she said, standing up, “it wouldn’t hurt to take a peek at what’s inside.”

“Annie, no!”
 
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storymasterb

Knight of RPGs
Well, this is interesting. I got to see Garchomp (good idea) and Arciadra sounds good. Is Arciadra Darkrai? Becuase the description is a lot like Darkrai. And I have one disappointment. You said that this chapter we would get to see the Pokemon in those poke balls. And then we didn't. Is that becuase you divided the chapter?
 

CHeSHiRe-CaT

A Curious Breed
Well, this is interesting. I got to see Garchomp (good idea) and Arciadra sounds good. Is Arciadra Darkrai? Becuase the description is a lot like Darkrai. And I have one disappointment. You said that this chapter we would get to see the Pokemon in those poke balls. And then we didn't. Is that becuase you divided the chapter?
Yes, as I stated twice before, I couldn't include the last two details mentioned in the spoiler in this chapter simply because it was too lengthy. XP I'm sorry, but I was not going to subject my readers to forty pages of torture, haha.

Unfortunately, I can't really answer your question concerning Arciadra right now. D: The question itself wouldn't seem that complicated to figure out, but beneath it all, the answer is very different from what you're probably expecting.

All revealed in good time. :3
 

Ryano Ra

Verdant Vitality
Yeah, I agree about that comment made about Arciadra.

But then again, I do have another idea of what it could be, though I am probably wrong. XDD I'm so glad to see Cynthia's Garchomp, I absolutely love it. I have so many questions about what the heck Arciadra is, but I think I can wait to ask after the next chapter or so. I'm loving Cynthia more and more in this fanfiction, there's just something about her (besides her being a Champion) that I love. And boy, two posts. @_@ I wish I had enough willpower to do that. I wanna do a 22-page chapter. The closest i've gotten is fifteen pages. XD Again, another excellent forward, and I look forward to Chp. V.

*kidnaps Arciadra*
 

Bay

YEAHHHHHHH
Where were they when her period started?

Sorry to say this, but that part made me roll on the floor laughing for quite some time. I don’t think no parent would want to see that. XD

Anyways, unto the review. Quite like a lot of stuff in here. First off, really interesting scene with Darkrai and Alex. espically on Alex founding out that Arceus actually wanting to demolish the humans. And HA, I’m right that it could be him. XD Also, I assume they made the deal, then? :3 There’s one thing that confused me. At first I was a bit confused as to why Darkrai chose Darkrai, but after rereading this passage:

<Listen. Spending the past few days in your mind, happening upon all your memories and feelings, has reawakened my own,> it says, reaching out to Alex and placing its claws on his shoulder. <You opened a door in me that I never thought would be opened again. You saved me, Alex.>

Thurs, leaves me to believe Darkrai chose him because the two aren’t so different from each other. I could be wrong, though. XD Also, love punker Nurse Joy. Enough said. XD

There are a couple of things I want to say, though. First off, this quote.

The girl admired the creature for a moment, never having seen so many rare Pokémon in the past few hours than ever in her entire life.

I felt you could’ve show, not tell. How did Annie looked like and felt when she saw Garchomp? Did her eyes glistened in amazement, her heart pounding with excitement, etc.? Also, kind of the same thing at the end where Alex screamed Annie to not open the pokeballs. How was his reaction shown?

In short, quite love this chapter and glad some revelations came. Hehe, can’t wait for the next chapter, especially on the identities on the Pokemon. ^^
 

CHeSHiRe-CaT

A Curious Breed
Yeah, I agree about that comment made about Arciadra.

But then again, I do have another idea of what it could be, though I am probably wrong. XDD I'm so glad to see Cynthia's Garchomp, I absolutely love it. I have so many questions about what the heck Arciadra is, but I think I can wait to ask after the next chapter or so. I'm loving Cynthia more and more in this fanfiction, there's just something about her (besides her being a Champion) that I love. And boy, two posts. @_@ I wish I had enough willpower to do that. I wanna do a 22-page chapter. The closest i've gotten is fifteen pages. XD Again, another excellent forward, and I look forward to Chp. V.

*kidnaps Arciadra*
Arciadra is certainly a character. XP But yes, I'm afraid he is one subject I'm not shedding light on.

Strange that your admiration for Cynthia is beginning to grow, though. She's not involved in much of the action of this chapter; she just swears, acts antsy, and gets her head conked on the dashboard. xD

As for length, I honestly wasn't expecting to write over 20 pages for this chapter. @__@ I just got waaaay immersed in the scene with Arciadra and Alex. I couldn't help myself. xD;
Sorry to say this, but that part made me roll on the floor laughing for quite some time. I don’t think no parent would want to see that. XD

Anyways, unto the review. Quite like a lot of stuff in here. First off, really interesting scene with Darkrai and Alex. espically on Alex founding out that Arceus actually wanting to demolish the humans. And HA, I’m right that it could be him. XD Also, I assume they made the deal, then? :3 There’s one thing that confused me. At first I was a bit confused as to why Darkrai chose Darkrai, but after rereading this passage:



Thurs, leaves me to believe Darkrai chose him because the two aren’t so different from each other. I could be wrong, though. XD Also, love punker Nurse Joy. Enough said. XD

There are a couple of things I want to say, though. First off, this quote.



I felt you could’ve show, not tell. How did Annie looked like and felt when she saw Garchomp? Did her eyes glistened in amazement, her heart pounding with excitement, etc.? Also, kind of the same thing at the end where Alex screamed Annie to not open the pokeballs. How was his reaction shown?

In short, quite love this chapter and glad some revelations came. Hehe, can’t wait for the next chapter, especially on the identities on the Pokemon. ^^
Yeah, the period thing hit me at the last minute. xD I imagine Annie might have been pretty ****** off, though, unable to manage her period on her own and whatnot. A menstrual period is a delicate subject, but it's honestly a very difficult time in a girl's life! Unlike most girls her age, Annie just didn't have anyone to support her at that time. I wanted to illustrate the lack of unconditional love and care in her life, no matter the situation.

And...Dark--what? I have no clue what this "Darkrai" is. :p I've never once mentioned any character named Darkrai in this story, but you all seem to think Arciadra bears a resemblance to it. Let me just warn you now: you're getting ahead of yourselves. O;

Now, if you're equating Arciadra to this "Darkrai" you speak of, you must understand that the fallen god didn't have much of a "choice" in picking Alex to be his vessel. After all, with the Harbor Inn in Canalave out of business for over fifty years and it being the only means of his reaching out to the human world, he would have taken advantage of any weary traveler that might have stumbled their way in.

It's all purely coincidental. :3

Or is it? :O

I'm sure I could tidy up that scene with Annie admiring Garchomp, too. I'll work on that. As for Alex's reaction to Annie picking up the Pokeballs and getting ready to release their contents, I just cut the scene off for a slight cliffhanger. xP His reaction will be detailed at the beginning of Chapter V, so no worries there.



Thank you both for your kind reviews. ^^ I don't feel very fulfilled by this chapter, but I'm hoping the pace will pick up a bit more in Chapter V.
 
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duncan

Well-Known Member
Oh please. Your attempts at keeping Arciadra/Darkrai/Monster's true identity hidden to us isn't working. Although...maybe he is another new Pokemon you created? That sounds just like Darkrai? Yeah.

Anyway, I liked this chapter, although very little in my mind could top that last one. And yeah, if you hadn't split it our brains would have exploded. I'm not against long chapters, but long plotty ones make me start missing stuff.

The Alex/Arciadra scene was good. So Arceus is the 'bad guy', then? Sure explains why the harshness against humans, anyway. I suppose the other three were Dialga, Palkia and Giratina, right? *hopes for spoiler*

“Cool it, small fry,” said Annie, batting a hand at the boy and lifting the Pokéballs into view. “It’s not like I’m going to take them or anything.”

She rubbed her thumb against the button in the center of one of the spheres.

The girl’s face broke out into a grin.

“But maybe,” she said, standing up, “it wouldn’t hurt to take a peek at what’s inside.”

“Annie, no!”

-_-' Even though I'm almost sure of what's in them, all this suspense...

He watches as a pitch-black creature transcends the pond without ever breaking the surface. Its hourglass-shaped body hovers on a gnarled skirt, and a red crest resembling a pair of jagged jaws rests upon its rounded shoulders. Two sets of claws hang from its shoulders like limp daggers.

*clears throat* Need I say more? XD

Sorry for the short review, but I liked this one. The Giratina part mangling (and eating its' victims) the city was awesomely gruesome. Oaken Falls is down first...wonder where next?
 

FinalForm

Active Member
1st time reviewer. Bow. And thank me. Actually, the situation should be reversed. Not once, in my wildest dreams, had I ever thought of a story in which Arceus could, or would be a bad guy, so props for that.

I agree with Duncan, on the Arciadra/Darkrai/Monster relationship, although I have two other theories that are so completely out there (well one is. The other involves Darkrai being Arceus and Arciadra's brother).

I'm not even sure if there were any grammar and spelling mistakes or not. I never looked, although I highly doubt there are any, after seeing a lack of corrections that I usually see in the first few chapters. I usually look at these before reading, and when I did it for you, I saw Luphnid had posted. I immediately thought 'Oh, great. Another writer to make me feel inadequate,' but summer vacation supplied me with a large amount of free time and I gave it a shot. And you don't seem to do that. So, thanks for that. This is, a genuinely fun read, that fits into my favorite category of 'not too hard to read, but not too easy either'. Like Goldie Locks and the porridge. Digressing is fun.

Over all, this is very enjoyable and I'd moan and groan if you were to call it quits on this.
 

CHeSHiRe-CaT

A Curious Breed
Oh please. Your attempts at keeping Arciadra/Darkrai/Monster's true identity hidden to us isn't working. Although...maybe he is another new Pokemon you created? That sounds just like Darkrai? Yeah.
The creature that Alex spoke to near the pond was definitely Arciadra.

Maybe you should take a closer look at Arciadra's behavior in Alex's past nightmares, though. Was there ever a point when the creature in his dreams displayed the same sort of intelligence and rationality as Arciadra did near the pond? What was the fallen god's explanation for this? That's all I have to say about that.

Anyway, I liked this chapter, although very little in my mind could top that last one. And yeah, if you hadn't split it our brains would have exploded. I'm not against long chapters, but long plotty ones make me start missing stuff.

The Alex/Arciadra scene was good. So Arceus is the 'bad guy', then? Sure explains why the harshness against humans, anyway. I suppose the other three were Dialga, Palkia and Giratina, right? *hopes for spoiler*



-_-' Even though I'm almost sure of what's in them, all this suspense...



*clears throat* Need I say more? XD

Sorry for the short review, but I liked this one. The Giratina part mangling (and eating its' victims) the city was awesomely gruesome. Oaken Falls is down first...wonder where next?
Believe me, it would have made my brain exploded had I not split the chapter. @__@

And as it stands, yes. Arceus is the "bad guy."
...Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. XP No surprise there.
xD I'm very sorry about those mystery Pokeballs. I'm sure everyone knows what's in them by now, too...species-wise. There's going to be an interesting twist to these Pokemon, however, as far as their development goes.

I had a heyday with writing Giratina's meat fest. 8D It was SO much fun! I love the smell of quivering intestines in the morning. xD
1st time reviewer. Bow. And thank me.
I'm humbled that my story should be the first of yours to review. o.o *bows*

Actually, the situation should be reversed. Not once, in my wildest dreams, had I ever thought of a story in which Arceus could, or would be a bad guy, so props for that.
First time I saw his picture revealed, I always thought of Arceus as this snob. XP
I agree with Duncan, on the Arciadra/Darkrai/Monster relationship, although I have two other theories that are so completely out there (well one is. The other involves Darkrai being Arceus and Arciadra's brother).
There are only two of Arceus' and Arciadra's kind. You heard Arceus himself: they shared a womb in the Celestial Egg together (the egg mentioned in the books of the Canalave City Library, mind you). So I'll have to disprove that last theory of yours. xP

Still, I want you to think analytically. Think like a psychologist. Look at Arciadra. What are characteristics of his behavior throughout this entire story, from the Prologue, Chapter II, and Chapter IV? Compare them. Contrast them. Consider environmental factors.
I'm not even sure if there were any grammar and spelling mistakes or not. I never looked, although I highly doubt there are any, after seeing a lack of corrections that I usually see in the first few chapters. I usually look at these before reading, and when I did it for you, I saw Luphnid had posted. I immediately thought 'Oh, great. Another writer to make me feel inadequate,' but summer vacation supplied me with a large amount of free time and I gave it a shot. And you don't seem to do that. So, thanks for that. This is, a genuinely fun read, that fits into my favorite category of 'not too hard to read, but not too easy either'. Like Goldie Locks and the porridge. Digressing is fun.

Over all, this is very enjoyable and I'd moan and groan if you were to call it quits on this.
When I started out writing on SPPf under a different username in 2004, you can bet my spelling/grammar was far from perfect. XP I have to thank all of my reviewers for helping me see my mistakes and correct them. I used to write in a very flowery style, too, having to describe everything in every scene regardless of their importance to the plot itself, with great detail and an array of superfluous adjectives.

Writing screenplays for a year also gave me the discipline to cut straight to the point in story-telling scenes with short, but well-established, lines. Unfortunately, writing screenplays has also hindered the way I write characters' thought processes, since most scripts don't go into the characters' minds at all.

The whole list of various techniques the screenwriter uses to help the reader (or audience) understand the character is comprised of facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, and the look in one's eyes. If you look closely, you can see I talk about characters' eyes a lot in this story. I think they're great for peering briefly into the minds of people (and Pokemon).

I'm glad it was easy enough for you to read. ^_^ I'm pretty sure I won't call it quits on this devastating tale. The ending is too difficult to resist writing. ;__; That's what keeps me going strong.


Thank you both for your reviews!

And again, try to look over the scene where Arciadra and Alex were speaking after the boy came out of Arciadra's nightmare. Look over the scene where Arciadra speaks to Alex from the pool, before emerging.

Immerse yourself. You will discover much.

If any of you have theories, feel free to discuss. :3
 
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Umbreon Ruler

Swim for your life.
Is it too early to assume that Arciadra is Darkrai? From your comments, it appears that it is, so i'll just hold my tongue... and I'm sure there's something I'm missing in here, and I'm really looking forward to finding out what it is. ;)

Anyway, fantastic chapter. Although, I felt a little disappointed, as the last two spoilers were the ones I was most looking forward to (unless the returning characters were the Joys... and you practically told us what Pokemon were in the Pokeballs). Sigh. I suppose I shall have to wait until Chapter V.

Oh, wow. I drew a blank when you were talking about the three monsters next to Arceus. I honestly couldn't think. So the spoiler WAS a big surprise for me. :p

Hm... at least a thousand possibilities flashed across my mind when you mentioned the bum lady, but sadly enough, none of them had anything to do with a Golduck, so they are probably all wrong. Ah, perhaps that was one of the mysterious characters of which you spoke. I hope so... old women can make a story so much more interesting. XD

This is a very short review, I know, but I'm not good at these things, and I tend to ramble. As you can see, I couldn't find any mistakes, and the only thing I didn't like was Garchomp (I just don't like the Pokemon. Nothing to do with your story). Hopefully, you can get Chapter V up soon. In the meantime, I'll be looking over Arciadra's behavior...
 

CHeSHiRe-CaT

A Curious Breed
Is it too early to assume that Arciadra is Darkrai? From your comments, it appears that it is, so i'll just hold my tongue... and I'm sure there's something I'm missing in here, and I'm really looking forward to finding out what it is. ;)

Anyway, fantastic chapter. Although, I felt a little disappointed, as the last two spoilers were the ones I was most looking forward to (unless the returning characters were the Joys... and you practically told us what Pokemon were in the Pokeballs). Sigh. I suppose I shall have to wait until Chapter V.

Oh, wow. I drew a blank when you were talking about the three monsters next to Arceus. I honestly couldn't think. So the spoiler WAS a big surprise for me. :p

Hm... at least a thousand possibilities flashed across my mind when you mentioned the bum lady, but sadly enough, none of them had anything to do with a Golduck, so they are probably all wrong. Ah, perhaps that was one of the mysterious characters of which you spoke. I hope so... old women can make a story so much more interesting. XD

This is a very short review, I know, but I'm not good at these things, and I tend to ramble. As you can see, I couldn't find any mistakes, and the only thing I didn't like was Garchomp (I just don't like the Pokemon. Nothing to do with your story). Hopefully, you can get Chapter V up soon. In the meantime, I'll be looking over Arciadra's behavior...
FINALLY!

Someone noticed that old lady. DDD:

Oh, and if you can't figure out who she is, do a double-take at her description, and think: this story is set in the future of the canon Pokemon world. What sorts of things about her might have changed over time? What about Pokemon changing over time...?

And to be honest, I'm not really fond of Garchomp, either. xP I just don't really care about it, but I took the time to describe it. It was the only Pokemon in Cynthia's inventory that was useful for one purpose: picking up Alex.

Glad you'll be thinking about Arciadra. :3

And I'll just say that everyone's assumptions about him being this "Darkrai" are right...and wrong.

Is that enough for you to go by?
 

storymasterb

Knight of RPGs
How can we be right and wrong? And the fact that you don't like Garchomp has made me not like you. Garchomp (along with Torterra and Lucario) is my best Pokemon and a lot of people like it. How can you not and turn it into a flying pickup?
 

Umbreon Ruler

Swim for your life.
CHeSHiRe-CaT said:
Oh, and if you can't figure out who she is, do a double-take at her description, and think: this story is set in the future of the canon Pokemon world. What sorts of things about her might have changed over time? What about Pokemon changing over time...?

O_O

Ooooooooooooooooooh. I can't believe I didn't see that! Of course, for some reason, when I first read that part I was picturing a very short lady. *headdesk* Silly me. XD

But now (if I'm correct) when I go back to that scene, I get these weird chills and it seems really spooky. *shudders*

CHeSHiRe-CaT said:
And I'll just say that everyone's assumptions about him being this "Darkrai" are right...and wrong.

Is that enough for you to go by?

Ah, it's all so clear now! :p
 
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Yami Ryu

Well-Known Member
Had to refresh twice for this to work finally...

anyways, DARN YOU CHESH, stealth posting and then I figure out you posted as I'm going about writing my fics chapters.

:< hate you

Ok not really but, I promise I'll review once I get done with atleast two of my fics, cause it's gonna take me awhile to read that big a chapter.

God damn Chesh, I want your length skills :<
 

CHeSHiRe-CaT

A Curious Breed
How can we be right and wrong? And the fact that you don't like Garchomp has made me not like you. Garchomp (along with Torterra and Lucario) is my best Pokemon and a lot of people like it. How can you not and turn it into a flying pickup?
storymasterb: I'm sorry? Where did it ever say I didn't like Garchomp? Would I have used Garchomp if I didn't like it? Here are my exact words:
I'm not really fond of Garchomp, either. xP I just don't really care about it, but I took the time to describe it.
First of all, I don't hate Garchomp. I don't have anything against Garchomp, nor am I in love with it. I'm just indifferent. Second of all, even though Garchomp is not one of my personal favorites (news flash: most Pokemon in this story aren't anyway), I'm still going to use it in future circumstances, and I will continue to describe it as eloquently as possible. It's how I come to appreciate certain Pokemon: by writing them.

My point is this: my opinion (or my lack thereof) on Garchomp is NOT relevant to the story, and neither is yours! I can understand why you'd be upset that I "used" your favorite Pokemon as a plot device, but hey, it happens. All Pokemon are useful in stories.

I wasn't offended when you accused me of disliking Garchomp so much as I was personally hurt that you disliked me based on that misguided assumption! That's that only reason why I'm ranting about this! You clearly read my comment wrong, and then proceeded to call me out on something that has no direct connection to Oaken Falls. Your comment is borderline spam, but I don't want to lose a good reader like you to something so silly as a misunderstanding like this.

I don't care much for Garchomp, but I'm learning to appreciate it through writing, like most other Pokemon I haven't written about. Nonetheless, no one should care. What I think is completely different from what I write. End of discussion.
O_O

Ooooooooooooooooooh. I can't believe I didn't see that! Of course, for some reason, when I read that part I was picturing a very short lady. *headdesk* Silly me. XD

But now (if I'm correct) when I go back to that scene, I get these weird chills and it seems really spooky. *shudders*



Ah, it's all so clear now! :p
Welp, I never described the lady's height. :X I was talking more about her visible features that I pointed out, if only subtly. Thirty years ago, I also think that Golduck might not have evolved yet...

I'm giving up on the whole Arciadra/Monster thing for now. XP You guys will bang your heads against your desks again once you come to that point in the story and finally understand what the hell I've been talking about. xD
Had to refresh twice for this to work finally...

anyways, DARN YOU CHESH, stealth posting and then I figure out you posted as I'm going about writing my fics chapters.

:< hate you

Ok not really but, I promise I'll review once I get done with atleast two of my fics, cause it's gonna take me awhile to read that big a chapter.

God damn Chesh, I want your length skills :<
No worries, Yams. ^^ It was an awfully big chapter. xP Oh, and hope you have a speedy recovery. :3
 
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