I know, I know. I promised this chapter after two weeks...but, as some of you may know, I recently started another fanfic on the forum, and it took up some of my time along with end of school and graduation stuff. But, now I have graduated and am back to a regular schedule of posting.
A few notes on this chapter. First, the new kid (i.e. the trainer who battled Crasher Wake in the last chapter) is a character I borrowed from the manga and anime Fuushigi Yuugi by Yuu Watase. Those of you who have read or watched it may recognize him. I made him younger. Secondly, another new character's name is a shoutout to my new fic, Angels and Demons. Just decided to combine two characters names. Thirdly, a very old character (old as in he's been in the series way way back) has returned.
Chapter Nineteen
Katie hoisted herself back onto the rock face, scraping her knees only enough to make her wince slightly. She heard someone clapping and looked up into the deep eyes of the blue-haired stranger. She stood up and brushed the dirt from her shorts.
“Your Umbreon packs some speed,” the trainer said, slipping his sunglasses back over his eyes and giving her a friendly smile. “Looks like I have some tough competition in the Platinum Conference.” Katie nodded, wondering who this boy was. He was definintly rival material, so it was best to get to know him before they met on the battlefield.
“I’m Katie Karasuma,” she said, “from Snowpoint City.” She held out her hand for him to shake. He tilted his head to one side as if he were unfamiliar with the gesture, and Katie felt her face turn red with embarrassment as if she had done something wrong.
“I am Chichiri Higuchi from Mt. Pyre in Hoenn.” With his introduction, he bowed. Relief flooded Katie as she realized she hadn’t done anything wrong. He was from the area of Hoenn filled with sages and psychics who followed traditional Aquapolian and Japanese customs. He must have grown up having been taught to bow when performing introductions.
“You’re from Mt. Pyre?” David asked, curious. His hand still gripped Samantha’s tightly, but he had become more easy and relaxed.
“Yeah, my grandparents are sages of the mountain, so I grew up there.” He looked over at Katie, and interested look in his royal purple eyes. “They have taught me a lot about you..or, rather, your legend.”
Katie flinched in surprise. How did he know? “Wha…What did they tell you?”
Chichiri laughed. “Not about your personal life. Just your legend, you know? The Daughter of Shadow and Light has Aquapolian crystal eyes, for instance. I’m surprised not many people these days recognize that sign. In the days of the Chosen One, nearly everyone could see the sign, you know?”
“You know her legend?” Ashley asked, raising her eyebrows with skepticism. “She has a legend?”
“An entire legend, you know? It’s written on the walls of the Cave of Origin and in the Book of the Chosen One…everywhere.”
Katie wondered why Chichiri was ending his sentences with “you know?” Maybe he was comfortable using it…or maybe he was excited to meet her?
“Chichiri?” Katie broke in. “Would you like to travel with us?”
Chichiri looked taken aback by her question, and her three other companions stared at her. Finally, a smile spread across his face.
“Of course. Well, only if you want me to, you know?”
The other three teenagers nodded and Katie smiled.
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“Let’s see…where to start?”
All five teenagers sat around a table in the Pokemon Center lobby.
“I guess I should start with what happened in the aftermath of the Great War, you know?” Chichiri said. “After the six Aquapolians who had been granted the abilities of the six powers saved the Chosen One and destroyed the demon Ojinan, another legend was laid.”
“Wait…why did the Chosen One need to be saved?” David asked.
“After the Great War, for some unknown reason, she was sealed away in another dimension. Six Aquapolians with the powers of land, sea, sky, time, space, and dimension freed her.” Chichiri paused. “Afterward, another prophecy was announced in the Cave of Origin.”
“Aren’t prophecies announced millennia before they come true?” Samantha asked.
Chichiri nodded. “Yes, most are, but in the case of the aftermath and in this case, the prophecies were made only years beforehand, you know? That’s why this is so strange. The monks who made the prophecies were even surprised.”
The monks who lived and worked in the Cave of Origin received prophecies on a century basis about the works and futures of the Aquapolian people and the legendaries. They also led the Aquapolian Church and were connected to the Catholic Church in the human country of Italy. Katie’s mind flew to the cathedral in Hearthome, briefly thinking of her encounter with that strange man…
“The prophecy told of a future conflict that will involve the six powers and the world. It outlined the steps taken by each power, too. The prophecy also spoke of the three Heavenly Warriors.”
“Angels?” Ashley scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Please.” Katie glared at her.
“Who are the three Heavenly Warriors?” Samantha asked.
“The Chosen One, the Daughter of Shadow and Light, and the Dimensional Warrior,” Chichiri replied.
“Who’s the Dimensional Warrior?” David asked.
“The one who personally saved the Chosen One during the aftermath, Scarlet Reed.”
“That name sounds familiar,” Ashley commented.
“It should, you know? Scarlet Reed is now Scarlet Sunyshore.”
“The Champion?” Samantha gasped.
Chichiri nodded. “We don’t know the details of the entire legend, but we know the outline, you know?”
Katie nodded. “I guess we won’t know until it happens,” she said, standing up. “You guys ready to get to Canalave?”
“You mean Hearthome, right?” Ashley asked, raising one eyebrow. “There’s another contest there within a week.”
Katie sighed. “Okay. To Hearthome we go.”
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The walk between Pastoria and Hearthome was long. Halfway before they reached Hearthome, Samantha felt a drop of rain hit her nose. She stopped short to look up at the sky.
“Rain!” Ashley squealed, throwing her hands up above her head to shield it from the droplets.
“We need shelter, now!” David said as thunder sounded in the distance.
Katie searched the horizon, her eyes finding a large house about half a mile away. “There!” She pointed. The others turned to spy the house. “Run!” She burst forward with speed, the others following after her.
Luckily, the house had a front porch large enough to hold them. David banged on the front door, shouting, “Hello?! Is anyone there?”
No one answered. David pounded on the door again. It cracked open a few seconds later. “Yes?” A young man’s voice asked.
“My friends and I were caught out in the storm…could we perhaps wait it out inside?”
The door opened wider to reveal a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. He had dark blue hair and eyes and wore a simple black coat and jeans. He looked around at the teenagers, eyeing them carefully. His eyes stopped for a few seconds on Katie and widened.
“Of course you can,” he said cheerfully, pushing the door open wider. “My name’s Patrick Hastings,” he said as he led them into the foyer.
“I’m David McCauley. This is Ashley, my sister, Katie Karasuma, Samantha Lynn, and Chichiri Higuchi.”
Something about the way Patrick looked at her when David said her name was unsettling to Katie. His dark blue eyes flickered with recognition as he stared at her for a few seconds, then looked away, a concerned expression plastered across his face. He shuffled nervously, his feet sliding across and expensive-looking burgundy rug.
“This is a nice house,” Samantha muttered to Chichiri, her eyes sliding across the rich tapestries and sculptures in the large foyer. Ashley shrugged at her comment, obviously used to this kind of presentation of wealth. She wasn’t as impressed as the others were by the rich look of the hall. David seemed to ignore it as well, though for a different reason.
“Thank you, but this isn’t my house,” Patrick explained. Katie’s eyebrows shot up a bit, wondering who really owned this house. Maybe his parents or grandparents? That was most likely, unless he was a top class trainer who had participated in and won many leagues. “It belongs to my friend, Aaron. He just lets me stay here sometimes.” He glanced at the clock. “Why don’t you make yourselves at home while I get him?”
Katie didn’t think Patrick could get out of the room fast enough. She glanced at David nervously, wondering if it was safe to stay in the mansion while the rain fell down.
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“Aaron?” Patrick asked, leaning against the library wall. “I know you heard me…” He glanced around the study, at the books that line the shelves…ancient titles of first editions. He was hyper excited about the arrival of the girl with Aquapolian crystal eyes, but he knew Aaron would be more reserved. Aaron wasn’t always the happiest person Patrick knew.
His friend’s hair was the same shade of dark blue as his hair was, making them appear as if they were related…even brothers. They had known each other for years, so it wasn’t a long stretch. Aaron’s blue eyes were more serious than Patrick’s, whose eyes shone with a youthful playfulness almost equivalent to that of Mew, though he would never compare himself to the pink legendary. Aaron wore a simple black shirt and jeans which looked oddly out of place on him. He held himself like a warrior and carried a rare air of regality in modern times.
Aaron had been staring thoughtfully out of the window at the rain since Patrick entered the room. He turned to face his friend, his eyes registering a faint sadness that caused Patrick’s heart to sink. “How much…alike are they?”
Patrick didn’t want to answer the question. How painful would the girl’s appearance be for Aaron? “They look and act a lot alike.”
Aaron froze, then sighed. “I’ll meet her…for a few moments.”
Patrick nodded.
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Samantha stared at the fine china that decorated the glass cases of the living room. She didn’t look up when Ashley entered the room.
“What are you to David?”
Samantha, stunned, turned sharply to face Ashley, whose arms were crossed in front of her chest. Samantha’s eyes widened at the girl’s angry look.
“Wh…what do you mean?”
“I see the way you look at him and how he responds to you,” her eyes narrowed. “He had enough to worry about without having to deal with a girlfriend.”
Samantha grit her teeth in anger. “I don’t see his own sister being very supportive in his time of need!” She snapped.
Ashley glared at her. “This is a family problem! Stay out of it and stay away from David!”
The girl’s hateful words pierced Samantha like a knife to the heart. She couldn’t help letting out a soft sob, fighting back tears. She would NOT cry in front of Ashley. She refused to do so. But how could she make the cold-hearted girl see how much she cared about David?
Feeling as if she were grasping at straws, Samantha firmly answered, “I love David.” She paused, feeling the right words slip into her head as Ashley gave her a shocked look. “If you love him too, then you would stay by his side and comfort him, no matter how angry you are at him for not visiting your parents. I WON’T stay way from him as long as he is in pain.”
Ashley’s mouth gaped open as she stared at Samantha, her deep blue eyes flashing with indecision about how she should react to what the girl had told her. Before she could speak, Chichiri stepped into the room.
“Patrick’s friend is here, guys. We should go talk to him…” He trailed off, looking from one girl to another before leaving the room.
Ashley glared at Samantha one last time before turning on her heel and following Chichiri. Samantha, fighting back tears, followed her a few seconds later.
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“So you’re battling in the Platinum Conference?” Aaron asked.
Katie nodded. “We’re heading to Hearthome right now, though, for a contest.”
“Really?” Aaron’s dark blue eyebrows shot up. “Are you participating in contests as well? You must be quite talented.” Katie blushed at his praise. Aaron was very handsome and built like a soldier. His manners were so impeccable, even her father would approve of him. She suddenly worried if he would approve of Colin and pushed the thought away.
She giggled nervously at his question, glancing over to where Ashley and Samantha stood. Ashley looked abnormally tense while Samantha look as if she was about to cry. “No…” Her face fell as she took in the distressed look of her best friend. “Ashley and Samantha are the coordinators of our group.”
“So you focus your skills on battling,” Aaron stated, his eyes fixed on her. Chichiri thought he looked eerily infatuated with whatever Katie said. The boy shook his head, wondering how his mind was going to deal with all of the problems that had just appeared in this house.
“Why don’t I give you a tour of my home?” Aaron asked, his invitation extending to all of them, but his eyes on Katie only. She gave him a nervous smile and quickly looked away, hoping the others would agree to come along so that she would be alone with him. Not that he wasn’t sweet…He just seemed so intense…
Chichiri was the first to step forward, and she breathed a small sigh of relief. The psychic must have read her nervousness around Aaron. “I’d love to see more of these statues. These are Pokemon I’ve never seen before.” He gestured to a small sculpture of a wolf-like Pokemon Katie didn’t know the name of.
Aaron only glanced at the statue before shrugging. “These statues are of Pokemon from a region that no longer exists.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Patrick stiffen up as if this was some big secret. Aaron ignored his friend and pressed on, guiding Katie out of a sliding door and into an indoor garden.
She could hear rain fall softly on the glass dome over her head, but her attention was caught on all of the exotic flowers. They were in every color she could imagine and spilled over each other, fighting for attention. Some she recognized as native to Japan, but most were completely foreign to her.
Katie heard the sound of rushing water come from the other end of the dome and gasped in delight at the beautiful waterfall suspended over a row of flowers. Streams of colored light illuminated it from behind, changing the shade through the entire spectrum.
Chichiri was starting to grow wary of his surroundings. Since they had set foot in the house, an eerie feeling had washed over him. From the way Aaron and Patrick acted to the untitled statues in the foyer, everything about the house set him on edge.
“It’s beautiful in here,” Katie murmured, her eyes fixed on the waterfall.
Aaron smiled. “We can stay in here as long as you like,” he said, his eyes fixed on her. Chichiri frowned.
Katie and Aaron sat down on a bench to look at the garden while the others spread out of hearing distance. Aaron tilted his head up to look at the night sky,
“This garden was built decades ago,” he said, “by my family to honor one of my ancestors.”