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The Corei Quest...rewritten!
- Thread starter Air Dragon
- Start date
Ranger Registeel
orly n00b?
Chapter 24:
Interesting, very interesting. I had a feeling Arcana would be a Growlithe/Arcanine, but I haven't been able to guess on the other nicknames yet. I hope Silver comes back, he was one of my favorites on Sapph's team. I'm glad Sapph and Haley got another travel mate, and as much as I'd prefer Brian, I like Sky. Hopefully she'll stick around for a while.
Chapter 25:
Wow, all I can say is wow! I like when stories take breaks from the main charavcters to focus on rivals/other characters for a chapter or two. Sadly, not many stories can pull it off well. However, you did fairly well. It had the same unpredictability the middle of season 1 had, so great job with that. I noticed you tend to put in extra commas, but I'm sure Dark Persian pointed them all out. I can't wait to see what happens with those White Robed people, Ricon, and Kaede.
Chapter 26:
*shouts many rude words* Me no likey Fuego, AT ALL >_< He deserved what Sky and Haley gave him, big time. Sky and Slate prove for some interesting interaction I must say. And Zen losing a tooth made me laugh, I'm cruel xD And I forgot to mention a couple chapters ago, I love Arcana's accent
The training scene with her, Lavender, and Drago was described really well, I liked it. The scene with Conburn was also described really well. Great chapter!
Chapter 27:
If I were a gym leader, I'd call Lavender for cheating FYI Then again, loopholes in Clyff's legislation make me happy You were extremely descriptive during the battle, and your use of language was amazing. Lots of adjectives and similes and such. Comet Punch Fire Style seems less interesting than Thunder Style. TS was a cool gimick, but FS just seems like an imitation for lack of better ideas. It does show off Crimson's awesome strength, but still, it seems very 'been there, done that'. I don't really mind since I love Crimson so much, but I don't think there should be another [element] Style Comet Punch in the future.
And on the other hand, I love Cyclone's adaptability. Lol, I'm very inconsistent I wish Ace would've lasted longer, but she got a lot of spotlight in the previous gym, so I'm ok with it. I like Arcana's little song thing. I also really enjoy her personality and attitude.
NORA'S BACK! NORA'S BACK! As sad as I am to see Sky leave, NORA'S BACK! SQUEEEE~ I assume Arlene and Ricon are the two she lost against?
NORA'S BACK!
Chapter 28:
The battle seemed both descriptive and lacking at the same time... It was great during the Aquala/Cumaul Battle, but got very roller-coasterish after that. It went from moments of great details to very skeletal moments. Meh, at least Nora won! And Zen, keeps getting blasted. Mucho fun! Oh, and Shiny Eevee/male Kirlia make for an awesome team! *loves Gallade/all Eeveelutions after Kanto* I really like the way the chapter ended, and overall it was a great chapter.
And, that's it. I'll make sure I review every chapter from now on. This is a really great fic!
Interesting, very interesting. I had a feeling Arcana would be a Growlithe/Arcanine, but I haven't been able to guess on the other nicknames yet. I hope Silver comes back, he was one of my favorites on Sapph's team. I'm glad Sapph and Haley got another travel mate, and as much as I'd prefer Brian, I like Sky. Hopefully she'll stick around for a while.
Chapter 25:
Wow, all I can say is wow! I like when stories take breaks from the main charavcters to focus on rivals/other characters for a chapter or two. Sadly, not many stories can pull it off well. However, you did fairly well. It had the same unpredictability the middle of season 1 had, so great job with that. I noticed you tend to put in extra commas, but I'm sure Dark Persian pointed them all out. I can't wait to see what happens with those White Robed people, Ricon, and Kaede.
Chapter 26:
*shouts many rude words* Me no likey Fuego, AT ALL >_< He deserved what Sky and Haley gave him, big time. Sky and Slate prove for some interesting interaction I must say. And Zen losing a tooth made me laugh, I'm cruel xD And I forgot to mention a couple chapters ago, I love Arcana's accent
The training scene with her, Lavender, and Drago was described really well, I liked it. The scene with Conburn was also described really well. Great chapter!Chapter 27:
If I were a gym leader, I'd call Lavender for cheating FYI
Then again, loopholes in Clyff's legislation make me happy You were extremely descriptive during the battle, and your use of language was amazing. Lots of adjectives and similes and such. Comet Punch Fire Style seems less interesting than Thunder Style. TS was a cool gimick, but FS just seems like an imitation for lack of better ideas. It does show off Crimson's awesome strength, but still, it seems very 'been there, done that'. I don't really mind since I love Crimson so much, but I don't think there should be another [element] Style Comet Punch in the future.And on the other hand, I love Cyclone's adaptability. Lol, I'm very inconsistent
I wish Ace would've lasted longer, but she got a lot of spotlight in the previous gym, so I'm ok with it. I like Arcana's little song thing. I also really enjoy her personality and attitude.NORA'S BACK! NORA'S BACK! As sad as I am to see Sky leave, NORA'S BACK! SQUEEEE~ I assume Arlene and Ricon are the two she lost against?
NORA'S BACK!
Chapter 28:
The battle seemed both descriptive and lacking at the same time... It was great during the Aquala/Cumaul Battle, but got very roller-coasterish after that. It went from moments of great details to very skeletal moments. Meh, at least Nora won! And Zen, keeps getting blasted. Mucho fun! Oh, and Shiny Eevee/male Kirlia make for an awesome team! *loves Gallade/all Eeveelutions after Kanto* I really like the way the chapter ended, and overall it was a great chapter.
And, that's it. I'll make sure I review every chapter from now on. This is a really great fic!
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I lurve Nora too! I'm glad she's back. And Gallade and Eeveelutions rule!\
Ahem. I don't wan this to be SPAM, so I wanna comment on how I love that LAvener is blind. It adds an awesome twist and she is my favorite of Sapph's Pokemon.
xXPorygonXx
Sort of active
I did right a very nice review. Serebii ate it.
**** you, serebiiforums!
Yeah.
Anyway, Season Two looks good. Haley surprises me though. Why would she want to be alone with Sapph when she can't even stand to be near him most of the time?
Also, some of your links don't work. The season links, and Part 1 of Can You Stand the Heat?
**** you, serebiiforums!
Yeah.
Anyway, Season Two looks good. Haley surprises me though. Why would she want to be alone with Sapph when she can't even stand to be near him most of the time?
Also, some of your links don't work. The season links, and Part 1 of Can You Stand the Heat?
EonMaster One
saeculum harmonia
Hoo, boy...you want to know what the funny thing is about this story?
Sapph has massive girl trouble...and he doesn't even realize it.
I mean, sure, he seems to have this long-distance spark going with Nurse Joy, Jr. back in...what was it again? I can't remember which city she was from.
And then there's timid, little Nora, which Sapph might catch on to sooner or later...
And then Haley, which hasn't become so obvious until recently. And as for Porygon's question, I like to believe that Sapph and Haley's friendship is mirrored a bit after that of Ash and Misty from the anime. Sometimes girls - really often at 10-11 or so - don't want to admit that they like a certain guy, so they focus on all the irritating points of said boy's personality that piss them off. The same goes vice versa - perhaps even more so. Either that, or they'll go more of the direction of Nora, who I'm guessing will be very shy to speak around Sapph like she was when they first met.
With this continued pattern (although I didn't get any vibe of Sky being particularly interested in Sapph), I kind of wonder if, first, Haley will have anymore...er, 'rivals' that will be introduced later, and second, if Sapph even knows or will ever find out what's going on.
Oh, and something's gotta give with Zen. He can't go on being a dickwad forever, can he?
Oh, and AD, I had a question. Maybe it's my memory going, but I still can't really understand the rationale behind Sapph sending Mogshex back home to Emma. Can you enlighten me? Thanks.
This chapter was good, but probably too short. It felt a bit rushed, honestly - rather like you waited until the last second and clipped through the end of it a bit. That's probably my only beef with this. My suggestion would be not to impose such strict deadlines on yourself, and if you do, don't make it a point of telling your readers. A person with integrity (even in small things like this) such as yourself will inevitably want to meet the deadline he promises his readers. Just don't let the chapters themselves suffer because of it. I'd rather wait an extra day or two and have it at its optimum quality than have you meet the deadline and read something that's at about 90%. Don't be afraid to post and ask for another couple of days. Unless you're one of those authors that waits three weeks between posts (not a good idea, BTW, especially with a Journey fic - that'll lose you readers very quickly), most of the time, readers will give it to you.
Oh, well. That's all the advice I've got.
Good chapter, but keep that in mind next time.
- ;196; EM1
Sapph has massive girl trouble...and he doesn't even realize it.
I mean, sure, he seems to have this long-distance spark going with Nurse Joy, Jr. back in...what was it again? I can't remember which city she was from.
And then there's timid, little Nora, which Sapph might catch on to sooner or later...
And then Haley, which hasn't become so obvious until recently. And as for Porygon's question, I like to believe that Sapph and Haley's friendship is mirrored a bit after that of Ash and Misty from the anime. Sometimes girls - really often at 10-11 or so - don't want to admit that they like a certain guy, so they focus on all the irritating points of said boy's personality that piss them off. The same goes vice versa - perhaps even more so. Either that, or they'll go more of the direction of Nora, who I'm guessing will be very shy to speak around Sapph like she was when they first met.
With this continued pattern (although I didn't get any vibe of Sky being particularly interested in Sapph), I kind of wonder if, first, Haley will have anymore...er, 'rivals' that will be introduced later, and second, if Sapph even knows or will ever find out what's going on.
Oh, and something's gotta give with Zen. He can't go on being a dickwad forever, can he?
Oh, and AD, I had a question. Maybe it's my memory going, but I still can't really understand the rationale behind Sapph sending Mogshex back home to Emma. Can you enlighten me? Thanks.
This chapter was good, but probably too short. It felt a bit rushed, honestly - rather like you waited until the last second and clipped through the end of it a bit. That's probably my only beef with this. My suggestion would be not to impose such strict deadlines on yourself, and if you do, don't make it a point of telling your readers. A person with integrity (even in small things like this) such as yourself will inevitably want to meet the deadline he promises his readers. Just don't let the chapters themselves suffer because of it. I'd rather wait an extra day or two and have it at its optimum quality than have you meet the deadline and read something that's at about 90%. Don't be afraid to post and ask for another couple of days. Unless you're one of those authors that waits three weeks between posts (not a good idea, BTW, especially with a Journey fic - that'll lose you readers very quickly), most of the time, readers will give it to you.
Oh, well. That's all the advice I've got.
Good chapter, but keep that in mind next time.
- ;196; EM1
Matt Silver
Rest My Chemistry
So... I guess it's time to review (It was on my to-do list).
DarkPersian covered all the grammatical/spellical mistakes and alike, so I'll just skip that part: Nice chapter. Short but sweet - some nice battles and shippyness all in all. My only complaint is probably Haley's behaviour towards Nora (Can't she get along with any other chick?), but the way she was with Sapph was a great comeback.
Zen was another standout in this chapter. The little bit with him, Anuvi and Flora was quite funny - he's such an emo. Like I said, this was a very shippy chapter - always a good thing. It seems to be like a one sided SapphxNora and a very screwed up SapphxHaley right?
Anywaysaways, keep it up ectera, looking forward to the next chapter.
DarkPersian covered all the grammatical/spellical mistakes and alike, so I'll just skip that part: Nice chapter. Short but sweet - some nice battles and shippyness all in all. My only complaint is probably Haley's behaviour towards Nora (Can't she get along with any other chick?), but the way she was with Sapph was a great comeback.
Zen was another standout in this chapter. The little bit with him, Anuvi and Flora was quite funny - he's such an emo
. Like I said, this was a very shippy chapter - always a good thing. It seems to be like a one sided SapphxNora and a very screwed up SapphxHaley right?Anywaysaways, keep it up ectera, looking forward to the next chapter.
Air Dragon
Ha, ha... not.
Right... an update, if you will...
@FinalForm: Suddenly i feel a very cold chill emanating from your doctor's office towards me... i can't really be famous with him with all the jaw surgery he's had to do on you on account of this fic... eh heh, heh, heh...
@Ranger Registeel: Yep, you're just good at guessing... another new pokemon character's coming 'into the fold', so to speak, in a couple chapter's time. Season two's gonna be full of captures (not one per chapter, per se) because season three's gonna be too crazy for capture chapters to be posted. Glad you're inspired, can't wait to see your works!
As to all other assumptions... my lips are sealed until further notice.
@Araleon: Yh, i konw. I wanted to revamp pentabloom's pic so i left it blank. As to Floracco? Sharp as a tack, aren't you?
EDIT: Yeah, I just uploaded this... enjoy
Pentabloom
@xXPorygonXx:
Don't you hate it when that happens? ;_; ah well, not that it mattered lots (cuz it did... stop it, AD, you're meant to be cheering him up!) I'd say EM1 has answered your query on the SapphXHaley issue... so hopefully you're placated.
@EonMaster One: Ah, my mentor and protoge, comrade at arms in the way of the keys! How nice to see you again! we have so much to discuss...
Yh, he's still got a spark with Joy, and he's feelings towards Nora are strictly older borther-mentorly. he just wants to fill in a void which Reg left... the ************* (insert insult of choice there)
Sapph gave Emma Mogshex to keep a promise he made with her before leaving home. Time will reveal it was a very wise move...
Worry not, Zen will be a dickwad only a little longer... there's gonna be a new resident dickwad on Team Sapph in the not so near not so far future...
On the chapter as a whole... busted. Totally. it was a little rushed and i let my obligations surpass my limitations... Phaer not, for my focus is sharpened on quality than performance speed now and well, let's just say the next chapter will make you glad I am.
@Matt Silver: Hey, buddy! Everybody's a bleedin' Sherlock today, aren't they? Time to put a little spin on things. mwa.ha.ha.ha!
Speaking of which, i haven't started it (rips open shirt to reveal Kevlar vest) do your worst...
Gotta slide... these chapters don't type themselves, y'know!
L@er!
@FinalForm: Suddenly i feel a very cold chill emanating from your doctor's office towards me... i can't really be famous with him with all the jaw surgery he's had to do on you on account of this fic... eh heh, heh, heh...
@Ranger Registeel: Yep, you're just good at guessing... another new pokemon character's coming 'into the fold', so to speak, in a couple chapter's time. Season two's gonna be full of captures (not one per chapter, per se) because season three's gonna be too crazy for capture chapters to be posted. Glad you're inspired, can't wait to see your works!
As to all other assumptions... my lips are sealed until further notice.
@Araleon: Yh, i konw. I wanted to revamp pentabloom's pic so i left it blank. As to Floracco? Sharp as a tack, aren't you?
EDIT: Yeah, I just uploaded this... enjoy
Pentabloom
@xXPorygonXx:
Don't you hate it when that happens? ;_; ah well, not that it mattered lots (cuz it did... stop it, AD, you're meant to be cheering him up!) I'd say EM1 has answered your query on the SapphXHaley issue... so hopefully you're placated.
@EonMaster One: Ah, my mentor and protoge, comrade at arms in the way of the keys! How nice to see you again! we have so much to discuss...
Yh, he's still got a spark with Joy, and he's feelings towards Nora are strictly older borther-mentorly. he just wants to fill in a void which Reg left... the ************* (insert insult of choice there)
Sapph gave Emma Mogshex to keep a promise he made with her before leaving home. Time will reveal it was a very wise move...
Worry not, Zen will be a dickwad only a little longer... there's gonna be a new resident dickwad on Team Sapph in the not so near not so far future...
On the chapter as a whole... busted. Totally. it was a little rushed and i let my obligations surpass my limitations... Phaer not, for my focus is sharpened on quality than performance speed now and well, let's just say the next chapter will make you glad I am.
@Matt Silver: Hey, buddy! Everybody's a bleedin' Sherlock today, aren't they? Time to put a little spin on things. mwa.ha.ha.ha!
Speaking of which, i haven't started it (rips open shirt to reveal Kevlar vest) do your worst...
Gotta slide... these chapters don't type themselves, y'know!
L@er!
Last edited:
SamuraiDragon1
Ommm
That was a pretty good chapter. And the battle scene was great.
I like the fakemons.
Floracco looks like an angelic tropius and is part dragon which tropius should have been in the first place. Florracco probobly my favorite fakemon of this chapter.
I hope I'm not insulting you, but marhot and cumaul look alot like the descriptions of two of the pokes in EonMaster One's fic. But they are two of the coolest looking pokes.
I like the fakemons.
Floracco looks like an angelic tropius and is part dragon which tropius should have been in the first place. Florracco probobly my favorite fakemon of this chapter.
I hope I'm not insulting you, but marhot and cumaul look alot like the descriptions of two of the pokes in EonMaster One's fic. But they are two of the coolest looking pokes.
EonMaster One
saeculum harmonia
That's because one of them actually is Marhot. AD and I tend to exchange things between our work, so I borrowed a couple of his fakemon for use in my fanfic (with his permission, of course).
As for the one that looks like Cumaul...I'm guessing you're thinking either Voltyger (in which case, AD drew a picture of what Voltyger looks like) or Arcidane (same thing). I hadn't even seen Cumaul before I thought up those two.
As for the one that looks like Cumaul...I'm guessing you're thinking either Voltyger (in which case, AD drew a picture of what Voltyger looks like) or Arcidane (same thing). I hadn't even seen Cumaul before I thought up those two.
You my sir are a genius. You've made a fanfic even heaven couldn't hold. You mix comedy (That bunny of nora's) with action (the gym battles). You've mixed characters we love (Blind Eevee) with characters we hate (Fuigo). Just one question is there gonna be an Azurill in the fan-fic?
SamuraiDragon1
Ommm
That makes sense. I was just wondering.
The Infected Charizard
Hacked Trainer
This Is Awesome!!!!!!
Air Dragon
Ha, ha... not.
Right, now that i fair few new reviewers, I reckon i'd let you all know i'm still alive and how my life is treating me.
Firstly, i have not forsaken this fic. OR the next (Little hint there...). School's throwing me a series of curve balls right now and let me tell you, i HATE curve balls.
The main issue now is my project work, for which the final deadline will be next wednesday. I'll have a defense to prepare for afterwards, but as i'm not sure when that'll roll around, i intend to cross one bridge at a time.
Which brings me to the update on the chapter. It was initally going to be chapter 30 (a fitting location as it would have been if not the most, one of the most pivotal chapters of The Corei Quest) but due to renumeration took slot number twenty nine. i therefore want to give you nothing but aitight quality on this round and am not gonna settle for anything less, or let you read anything less. please be patient with me (you all have been immensely so far and you have my undying gratitude) and by God's grace, i'll have the chapter ready in the course of the next week.
My... for want of a better adjective... 'social life' which was more screwed up than Sapph's just got screwier. I seriously need to get a girlfriend. lol at me here... not.
Seriously, i need a girlfriend. there, i said it. again. now stop laughing, or else.
To my new readers mimefan, the infected charizard, thank you for your reviews. SamuraiDragon1, there are no hard feelings. Got any fakemon ideas and i'll give my artistic hand a shot at it.
Thank you all again. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I'll catch ya.
L@er.
Firstly, i have not forsaken this fic. OR the next (Little hint there...). School's throwing me a series of curve balls right now and let me tell you, i HATE curve balls.
The main issue now is my project work, for which the final deadline will be next wednesday. I'll have a defense to prepare for afterwards, but as i'm not sure when that'll roll around, i intend to cross one bridge at a time.
Which brings me to the update on the chapter. It was initally going to be chapter 30 (a fitting location as it would have been if not the most, one of the most pivotal chapters of The Corei Quest) but due to renumeration took slot number twenty nine. i therefore want to give you nothing but aitight quality on this round and am not gonna settle for anything less, or let you read anything less. please be patient with me (you all have been immensely so far and you have my undying gratitude) and by God's grace, i'll have the chapter ready in the course of the next week.
My... for want of a better adjective... 'social life' which was more screwed up than Sapph's just got screwier. I seriously need to get a girlfriend. lol at me here... not.
Seriously, i need a girlfriend. there, i said it. again. now stop laughing, or else.
To my new readers mimefan, the infected charizard, thank you for your reviews. SamuraiDragon1, there are no hard feelings. Got any fakemon ideas and i'll give my artistic hand a shot at it.
Thank you all again. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I'll catch ya.
L@er.
Air Dragon
Ha, ha... not.
TCQ ch 29 (At Last!)
This is one of the over the top TCQ chapters, ever. Alot of explanations will be addressed in this chapter. So sit back, relax and enjoy!
Special thanks go to DakPersian 479 for one of Zula's lines (you'll know which one...) and EonMaster One for the use of the name Katrina. Yeah yeah, of all the girls names i could have used , it had to be that one...
This chapter may need a T rating... Just thought i should before i get into trouble...
Four mornings after the battle between Haley and Nora found the trio and their collective seventeen Pokémon waking up to the sleepy dawn of the day they had hoped to arrive at the next destination on their tour of the continent: Olde Teak Village.
The first to awake (as was her custom) was a small, silvery white quadruped with dirty white streaks on fur on the tip of her paint brush tail which matched her ruff. Yawning slightly and stretching her foot tall form, Snowdrop shook herself free of slumber and crept gently out from the tent which her owner shared with the Water Pokémon loving researcher until she got her own. The clearing they had pitched camp in the night before was still draped in mist which gave the trees an eerie, misty look, which when coupled with the silence of the clearing gave it a ghostly appearance.
As she stood still in the clearing watching the sun rise above the treetops, a rustling noise erupted from the bush into her right. Startled, Snowdrop spun around as another creature which could have passed for her twin save for the changes in colouration leapt from the bushes.
Lavender hit the ground lightly as her ears twitched, a light breeze ruffling her fur as she closed her eyes in concentration. Snowdrop stared; although she wasn’t surprised at seeing another Eevee recently, knowing that she wasn’t the only early bird would take some getting used to.
A second rustling later revealed Anuvi, a larger, green speed machine with a cowl of leaves flying into the clearing amongst a shower of leaves. His violet eyes fixed exclusively on the brown and cream coloured vulpine Pokémon, the Squirrage drew his hand back and released a flurry of knifelike leaves, not unlike a strafe of throwing knives, upon both Evolution Pokémon.
<Yow! Hey, watch it!> Snowdrop yelled in panic, startling the other Eevee, who faltered for a split second, exclaiming, <Snowdrop? Is that yo-oof!> Lavender, distracted by the knowledge of an unexpected spectator, got nailed all over her small body by the sharp, painful leaves, blasting her off her feet into the air and into a clump of bamboo saplings, her body glowing green and growing as she soared through the air. Flipping over before she made contact with the saplings, she planted her dainty dirt brown feet into the trees, springing her into the air, her leaf like tail glowing a vibrant green.
The Squirrage, noticing the change from defense to offense, conjured his patented energy sword attack and crossed Yaiba no Hayashi with Leaf Blade as they flashed past each other. Six feet landed on the ground simultaneously and the owner of the daintier feet glowed green once more as she shrank back into her shorter, slightly squatter Normal type form.
Lavender and Anuvi tuned to Snowdrop with sheepish expressions on their faces and said to a panic-stricken Snowdrop, <Gee, sorry, Snowdrop! Didn’t think there’d be anyone up this early!>
Snowdrop could only nod back, her eyes as wide as saucers.
Within a space of thirty minutes the campsite was thriving with activity. Sapph had returned to the campsite with Ace and Crimson (Zen had been invited, but had blatantly turned down the offer) with a pile of kindling whilst Haley ran her Pokémon through their daily drills. Nora sat a short ways off watching her Kirlia Galante and Sapph’s Growlithe Arcana duke it out in a training match. Marmy and Snowdrop watched nearby cheering on their teammate whilst Lavender cheered on Arcana. Anuvi was keeping a cool eye on Delgato, who had the appearance of a Casanova denied his daily dosage of over flirt.
<Hey, Galante! Don’t tell me you’re taking a beating from a girl!> Marmy heckled Arcana in a whimsical manner.
Grinning in a dangerous way, Arcana poured on the heat and called back, <How about I show you just how tough a girl can be!>
<Ooh, I’m-a shakin’,> Marmy commented in his lively, overly comical voice, his arms crossed and a playful note detectable in his voice. <I’m-a simply shaking in-a my shoos-uh.>
<Wise decision,> Arcana grunted, a bluish white stream of incineration forcing Galante to perform a Teleport attack to avoid becoming part of a Psychic barbecue issuing from her mouth.
“Firewood’s in!” Sapph announced, placing the split logs he and his Pokémon had gathered during their training walk onto their makeshift fireplace. ”Who’s on cooking detail?”
The threesome had been taking shifts in preparing the meals (Sapph, under Nora’s careful tutelage, had improved in leaps and bounds since the first day that she was with the duo, when Marmy had neatly thrown up all over his lap on his first attempt since the Nightspark City local had joined their group).
“I’d say it’s Haley’s turn,” Nora said quizzically, looking over at the researcher in the making from her journal in which she had been scribbling since she had awoken. She leapt off the log on which she had been sitting and beckoned Snowdrop over for some training.
Haley looked over and nodded cheerfully, and moved over to the fireplace where Sapph had deposited the firewood and had called Arcana over to start a fire.
<Say, has anyone seen Senora Flora?> Delgato said slyly, edging closer to an oblivious Lavender as the Evolution Pokémon began to chat up Galante on where Arcana and Marmy had mysteriously disappeared to.
A split second later a razor-sharp leaf hummed gently as it vibrated rapidly in the ground, an eight of an inch from the Crackle Pokémon’s paw. Delgato looked up with a start at Anuvi who gave him a look that clearly explained that he had missed on purpose and he wouldn’t miss again if he tried anything funny with his foster sister.
<I’m sure Lady Flora shalt not miss her morning repast,> Galante replied in clipped tones. <She surely hast not missed a single gathering yet.>
<Galante’s a-right, you know,> Marmy announced in his whimsical Italian voice as he and the Puppy Pokémon emerged from behind a tree, Arcana bursting with giggles.
<What’s with you, Arcana?> Anuvi asked suspiciously. <And where have you been?>
Arcana flushed faintly at the curiousity of her team leader but was saved the necessity of answering by the arrival of Zen and Flora, the former looking slightly worse for wear, purple bruising showing under the fur just beneath his eye as well as all over his two and a half foot body.
<Forget about Arcana… what in Latios’ name happened to you?> Crimson exclaimed, looking Zen over in surprise. Zen shot a hateful glare at the Five Star Pokémon as he sat apart from the others with his back firmly showing to the group as Flora floated over and settled down, looking perfectly at peace.
<Am I to assume,> Ace asked Flora in clipped yet hushed tones, <that Sergeant Zen attempted to attack you earlier?>
Flora lowered her head in assent and whispered back, <He was rather rude about it. All he had to do was ask. He startled me and I retaliated with Giant Tail. I offered to heal his injuries with Dawning Cry but he was so stubbornly proud.>
<Hmph,> Anuvi said in a brittle voice, shooting a disdainful look at the Taebrawl’s back. <Don’t worry about Lord of the Dickwads over there… all you hurt was his ego. His skull’s too thick for you to do any serious damage to his body.>
<None the less,> Flora said calmly, smiling faintly. <I must thank him. If he hadn’t attacked me, I’d have learnt Solarbeam much later…>
<Heeeeeyyyy! Break-a-fast’s a-readyyyy!> Marmy announced to the group from by the camp fire, where he and Arcana had already begun tucking in along with Haley’s Pokémon, who regarded the Thermal Pokémon coldly. Although their trainer had come to regard Nora formally as a friend, the grudge that had developed after their defeat was much harder to shake off.
The other Pokémon, save for Zen moved, closer to the fire and picked up their food and began to tuck in, Lavender and Snowdrop giggling like a couple of schoolgirls on the topic of Marmy and Arcana developing feeling for each other.
<What of Sir Zen?> Galante asked Anuvi, watching the Combatant Pokémon continue to sulk coldly in the corner of the campsite.
<Leave ‘im,> Anuvi said despairingly, ignoring the Taebrawl completely. <He can look after himself just… fine.>
<I’ll take his to him,> Crimson volunteered, his feelings about Zen’s distant attitude with the team bordering on guilt. It was he, after all, who had battled and weakened the ferocious Fighting type, enabling Sapph to capture him and end his life as a free Pokémon.
Fluttering over to the hunched-over form of Zen, Crimson placed his bowl of food next to him and said, <You must be hungry. Here, have some.>
Zen didn’t even acknowledge his presence, but merely stared ahead, his eyes narrowing slightly as his metallic left limb clenched around his right.
<Say, Zen,> Crimson went on in hushed tones. <I’m sorry about what happened back in Pampa City, bu->
<Since when have I ever needed your pity?> Zen snapped back, whipping his left hand around and lifting the food bowl forcefully off the ground and throwing it in the Ledian’s face.
Witnessing this, Anuvi sprang to his feet, his sharp teeth drawn back in a furious snarl.
<You may enjoy servitude, you spineless Caterpie,> Zen growled, rising to his feet angrily and readying his Tae Kwon Do stance, <but I don’t! Try your miserable pity act on me again, and you’ll learn who should really be sorry!>
<That’s it! Let me at him!> Anuvi bellowed, looking close to deranged. Straining against Flora, Bubbles and Blitzkrieg, he let loose another yell. <I’ll kill that little… GRAAAGH!>
<It’s OK, Anuvi.>
<Wha-?> Anuvi faltered in shock, staring into Crimson’s sad, understanding eyes as the Bug type walked back to the fire slowly.
<It’s OK,> Crimson repeated sadly. <Zen’s just used to being independent. Give him time, he’ll come around…>
Watching the Taebrawl walk away, Anuvi shrugged off his restrainers disdainfully and grunted, <Whatever. But I’m seriously starting to hate that guy.>
With all their Pokémon back in their balls, the trio made good time in their march towards Olde Teake Village.
“So what’s Olde Teake’s story?” Sapph asked Haley and Nora without enthusiasm, his arms behind his head as he swaggered without any of his usual zip.
“”Well, to put it in a nutshell, Sapph… old,” Nora smiled. “Olde Teake’s is one of the oldest settlements in the history of the entire Pokémon world.”
“Ah… so.” Sapph said disinterestedly.
“Oh, quit griping, Sapph!” Haley said in a tired yet spirited voice. “Think of the history!”
“I’d rather think of my next gym battle,” Sapph muttered back stubbornly. Glancing sideways at Haley, he added, “and what’s your deal anyways?”
“I dunno,” Haley gasped, fanning herself with her shirt collar. “Are either of you two feeling this heat?”
“Well, it is a warm day,” Nora agreed, also watching the young researcher panting feverishly with concern. “Are you OK? Do you need to rest?”
“I dunno,” Haley said in a haggard voice, sweat cascading down her brow. “Wow, I’m so hot right now. It’s like I’m… burning from… from the… insiiiiide,” she groaned, her eyes rolling up her skull as she promptly passed out.
Reacting instinctively, Sapph sprang forward and caught her before she hit the ground. Turning her over, he stared as she seemed to turn red, sweating bullets and gasping for air.
“Haley? Haley! Say something, Haley!” Sapph yelled anxiously, cradling Haley in his arms.
“What’s wrong with her?” Nora squealed with worry, kneeling next to them and feeling her forehead. “Sapph, she’s burning up!”
“We’ve gotta get her to a doctor!” Sapph yelled, lifting Haley up bodily in bridal fashion and rising to his feet swiftly, his sapphire blue irises fixing themselves on Olde Teake, separated from them by about five kilometers of forest road. His eyes narrowed in determination, he muttered, “Better get out your bike, Nora. You’ll need it to keep up…”
Thirty minutes later, a short-of-breath Sapph and Nora wheeled into town, the former cradling Haley in his arms. Skidding to a braking halt, Sapph’s eyes swiveled around, yelling “Hey, we need a doctor here! Anybody!?”
“Sapph, up there!” Nora gasped, pointing up the main street at a large, rustic multi-roomed chalet that like many of the other (smaller) buildings around was made entirely of logs. “That’s gotta be the hospital!”
“C’mon then! Let’s go!” Sapph yelled, dashing off up the street, his eyes fixed solely on the red cross-shaped sign that hung above its entrance. He was so fixed on his destination, he didn’t see the ancient lady who was crossing the street with a large, dark brown creature with her who was muscling several shopping bags or hear Nora’s warning shout until it was too late.
One second, Sapph was barreling towards the hospital, the next the horizon seemed to spin out of control as he went flying, courtesy of the strange creature’s swiftly executed Arm Thrust. Gripping Haley more tightly, Sapph landed painfully on his back after a spectacularly comical loop-de-loop, gasping in pain.
“Sapph! Are you alright?!” Nora screamed in terror as Sapph sat up instantly, the impact his back experienced burning numb pain all over his body.
Swiveling around angrily, he yelled at his assailant, “Hey, what gives? I’m in a hurry!”
“Well, well… an Elemens,” The old lady said in some surprise, staring into Sapph’s angry blue eyes with her own beady black eyes. The creature that had sent Sapph for the loop revealed itself to be a four foot tall bidedal creature. If Sapph wasn’t worried about Haley’s health at the time, he’d had probably whipped out his Pokédex and scanned it at once.
“Yeah, yeah, lady,” Sapph growled impatiently, “very nice. But I have a sick friend here, and chitchat’s not really gonna help, is it?”
“A Water Mage as well?! Incredible! But this condition…” The old woman said in shock before Sapph interjected angrily.
“Thanks for the scientific prognosis, doc!” Sapph said exasperatedly. “But unless you can help us get her feeling better, get outta our way!”
“Sapph! I’m so sorry,” Nora said apologetically to the old lady as the creature that accompanied her growled angrily as it tensed its arm angrily, “but our friend suddenly got ill on our way here, and we just-“.
“I must be dreaming,” the woman said in shock staring Nora in the eye, leaving the demure youth feeling awkward. “Two Elemens walking together?”
“Whaddya call us?” Sapph said, angry that this woman was more interested in spouting rubbish than letting them get Haley to the hospital. “’Elemens’? ‘Water Mage’?! Sorry, lady… but we’ve no time to play ar… H-HEY! LET ME GO, YOU GIANT FURBALL!” Sapph bellowed, as the Pokémon hefted Sapph and Haley effortlessly into the air with one clawed hand, the other clutching the old woman’s grocery.
“What the…?” Nora gasped at its astonishing strength as the old woman beckoned to her whispering urgently, “Quickly, miss! This way, before we’re seen!”
Totally nonplussed, Nora pushed her bicycle up the street after their mysterious guide, whilst staying out of sight of a shrouded figure, who watched Sapph, the old lady and her Pokémon hurry up the street, who pulled a small transistor out of his cloak and muttered, “Sapph Manson has arrived in Olde Teake Village, Lord Theologos…”
The silver hair youth known only to the world as Lord Theologos sat in his shadowy throne room, mulling over his large black and red chessboard as the report came in. Theologos was silent for a moment or two as he contemplated his next thought of action, the lime green holographic map of Corei revolving before him, lighting up his face with a ghastly, sickly green that left him with a tinge that would be reminiscent of a large, sea creature that would not fare well on land.
“Ah… he has, has he?” Theologos said calmly, his inscrutably smooth and youthful face hiding inner worry.
“Yes, milord,” the agent’s voice announced over the wireless that stood before the silver-haired man who sat upon his cold black throne. “The shaman has already accosted them.”
Theologos’s golden eyes narrowed slightly but his voice remained as cheerful as ever as he said, “Is that right? This could prove troublesome…”
“Shall I tail them? He seemed to have another companion, but I didn’t get a good enough look at her face.”
“No bother,” Theologos drawled playfully, like a Persian that had seen a Rattata it wished to play with before moving in for the kill. “We need to silence Mr. Manson and the shaman swiftly. Probably wipe Olde Teake off the map… evacuate your post. Move to White Tower University and contact Captain Cleopatra. Our little problem,” he ended, an evil glint in his eye as he cut the communication link with the grunt, “will be addressed in grand style.”
The weird woman had led her Pokémon and Nora to a small log chateau half way up the mountain trail that lead out of the village. Many of the chalets that made up Olde Teake dotted the trail and broke up the continual pine forest canopy at random intervals. Nora followed half a step behind, her eyes glued on the creature which Sapph’s Pokédex had revealed to be a Molumo, a Ground and Fighting type Pokémon. According to Sapph’s device, their tremendous strength, coupled with their stout, powerful claws enable them to dig through the toughest rocks of the earth’s crust in creating their intricate subterranean homes.
Sapph was none too happy with this travel arrangement, and was rather rude about mentioning it. Nora (and the old woman apparently) however knew better that this upswing in Sapph’s French expletive-usage was due to concern for Haley’s health.
“Well, here we are,” the old woman said cheerfully, opening the door of a particularly shabby hut in front of which the weeds began to creep up on the tenant. “Excuse the mess, an old lady can only do so much alone. Come in, and for Latias’s sake, girl, stop looking back! Do you want them to recognize you?”
Thoroughly bewildered, Nora obeyed quickly, wheeling her bicycle in after the elderly woman and the till-swearing Sapph, taking in the golden Pidgeot feathers and flaming tail hairs of Ponyta that hung from the ceiling. A large window stood set in the wall opposite a large stone fireplace. Two doorways and a staircase led off from the hall, one led to a room with pots and pans hanging from the roof (Obviously the kitchen, she thought as she folded her bike and stowed it away in her backpack) and the other leading to a small room, cluttered with books, scrolls and parchment. The staircase led to the upper floor where the old lady’s bathroom and bedroom were obviously situated.
“Molumo, would you please take the lady upstairs and lay her in my bed?” The woman asked politely. “And then come back down and keep an eye on these two while I prepare some Oddish root tea?”
<Ja, Frau Hiyori,> the Molumo said in a guttural voice as he extricated Sapph from the bundle of bodies he was carrying and deposited him bodily on the floor on a woven, circular mat which belched clouds of dust as Sapph hit the floor. Nora rushed over to help the still-swearing Sapph to his feet, whose expletives had subsided to a continual slur of violent muttered threats.
<Please, be comfortable,> the Molumo said in his thickset voice. <Your friend is in safest hands, ja?>
And with that, he carried Haley gently up the rickety stairway as Frau Hiyori reappeared, carrying a tray laden with a saucer of cookies, a willow patterned teapot and three handless tea cups.
“Please, make yourself comfortable,” Frau Hiyori said warmly, setting the tray on the low table before the youths and bustling back into the kitchen from which pale violet smoke was issuing, bringing with it a violently putrid smell, “I must return to the Victreebel draught for your friend.”
“Victree-what?” Sapph blanched, shooting to his feet once more in disgust. “For whom? There’s no way we’re lettin’ a qua-ARGH!” Sapph yelled as Molumo who’d just come down from putting Haley to bed, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and forced him onto his butt. Painfully.
<I say your friend is in safest hands, nein?> Molumo said in a dangerously calm voice, leering at Sapph and Nora calmly. <Now, sit and drink your tea, bitte.>
Sapph and Nora felt very small under the intimidating glare of the Sumo Mole Pokémon and decided to do as they were told. Glancing at each other; both reached for a teacup and drained their contents in one shot.
What they felt next could only be described as nauseating: not only was the tea beyond scalding hot, it tasted like a blend of Grimer acid and rancid Miltank milk, with just a touch of rotting, week-old Magikarp. Sapph developed a horrible twitch while Nora’s coral blue hair stood on end. Cold shivers ran all over their body as they longed to throw up al the fluid. Indeed Sapph came close and would have pulled it off if not for the reappearance of Frau Hiyori, who carried a steaming bowl of purplish brown broth and said, “Good, good! Drink up! It will prepare you for…what is to come.”
And with a creepy smile, she hobbled on up the stairs.
If the preteens weren’t freaked out yet, they surely were now.
“I say we take our chances with Diggy-dumb here and get Haley outta here before she poisons her,” Sapph wheezed, his voice going up by about an octave and a half from the gag-worthy aftertaste the tea had left them experiencing.
Before they could formulate an escape plan, the old lady was back, a broad smile on her face. Almost as though reading their minds, she commented airily, “I wouldn’t try to escape with the Water Mage upstairs just yet. But you should be relieved to know that her fever’s broken now and her essence is resting.”
Sapph and Nora stared open-mouthed at the old lady as she settled herself cross-legged and pouring herself a cup of tea, added, “And in any case, this is the safest place for you to be right now.”
Smiling at Sapph and Nora’s looks of shock, she took a sip of tea and exhaled in relief. As Molumo finished starting a fire, he moved towards the table and refilled their cups. Sapph and Nora stared appalled at the cups, but with one glance at Molumo, who’d settled himself behind Frau Hiyori and smiled an evil leer.
Sapph and Nora gulped and hastened to imbibe more of the revolting brew. Nora stopped Sapph as he raised the tea cup to his lips to take another hurried sip and pointed his head at the elderly woman, who had taken another drawn-out sip and exhaled heavily again.
Sapph took the hint and the duo imitated her actions. The drink was still revolting, but less so and more relaxing suddenly (Sapph noticed with surprise) as they exhaled softly.
Taking the initiative (for once), Nora took a deep breath and asked the old lady, “Thank you for your… hospitality. But… who are you? What are you? Why did you bring us here? Why did you call Sapph and I Elemens?”
Sapph continued with the questions, “Good questions. Just what is an Elemens? Why’d you call Haley a Water Mage? What the heck did you mean by ‘her essence is resting’? How do you know what’s wrong with her… what’s wrong with her?”
“And why were you so intent on telling me not to look back?” Nora summed up, looking curiously at the old lady as she took yet another sip.
“Pretty intelligent questions,” the old lady said with a twinkle in her eye. “I believe you merit full and honest answers.”
“Good,” Sapph said in relief, relaxing a little on his cushion. “’Cause being kept in the dark is no joke.”
The woman laughed again, her silvery white hair glowing amber red in the firelight and said, “Just when I thought you were an Elemens of Power. Turns out you’re an Elemens of Courage, Sapphire Christin Manson. Quite a surprise with your lineage so steeped in Fire Mage blood.”
Sapph’s jaw dropped. So did Nora’s.
“H-ho-how’d you… nobody in Corei knows my full… when did you…” Sapph stammered, completely winded by the lady’s knowledge.
“I know a lot more about you than I’m letting on, Sapphire. I know a lot about both of you… Nora Katrina Saunders,” the woman chuckled, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “Don’t look down on your names. Especially you, Sapphire,” she added with a knowing smile. “Not many men are named after something so precious, after all.”
Sapph was left in muted shock, blushing scarlet as Nora let out a nervous, muffled giggle.
“Well, to answer your questions… my full name is Hiyori Gemma Retsuki,” the woman smiled again, taking another sip of tea. “I’m a shaman spiritualist, and this is my only Pokémon still alive from my heydays, Molumo.”
<Pleased to be making your acquaintances, Herr and Fraulein Elemens,> Molumo greeted in his deep voice.
“Uhh…Likewise,” Nora said nervously and Sapph chuckled with equal apprehension.
“I believe your next question was ‘Why did you bring us here?’” Hiyori said calmly. “Well, it looks like you came to me.”
She then let out a wild peal of laughter as Sapph and Nora sweat dropped.
“Just kidding, young ones. I brought you here because you need to be educated on your legacy,” Hiyori said simply.
“’Legacy’?” Sapph and Nora echoed in unison.
“That’s right. Your legacy as Elemens.”
“OK, back to my question. What are Elemens?” Sapph said, a little impatiently.
“Well, that answer’s not as simple to explain,” Hiyori said worriedly, glancing at the sun outside the window, which began to tinge the horizon with its setting crimson. “It involves a trip.”
“A… trip?” Nora repeated unsurely.
“Yes…” Hiyori muttered, reaching up the sleeve of her kimono and withdrawing a tiny drawstring bag. Opening it under Sapph and Nora’s curious stares, she pinched a small quantity of what seemed to be glittering white powder and spreading it gently in the fire, announced enigmatically, “A trip… to the beginning of time.”
The room’s walls suddenly vanished as the foursome were engulfed in roaring, blurred sounds and violently flashing lights as Sapph, Nora and Hiyori’s hair blew about as they seemed to soar backwards at an incredible speed, albeit staying rooted firmly in place.
The three humans and Molumo stopped suddenly in an inky black void with nothing apparently holding tem up. Nora screamed and clutched Sapph’s arm in terror, Sapph was too stunned to be shocked.
“Cool special effects, Hiyori-baachan,” Sapph said appreciatively. “Where are we?”
“Nowhere,” Hiyori said evenly. “This is the beginning of time, remember?”
“B-b-be-be-beginning of t-t-t-ti-time?!” Nora squeaked in panic.
“Relax, Nora,” Hiyori said soothingly. “Only your essences were transported here. Our bodies are fine.”
“That’s a comfort,” Sapph remarked drily.
“Isn’t it?” Hiyori said happily, not catching Sapph’s sarcasm.
“But how did you… which time-travelling Pokémon’s powder did you use? Don’t tell me you- you knew Celebi?” Sapph gasped.
“No, it can’t be Celebi,” Nora said, although still severely shaken. “Only our essences - whatever they are – were sent here. Our bodies are still in the present… Hiyori-baachan… was that powdered Xatu feather you threw in the fireplace?”
Hiyori smiled a toothless grin and said, “Reasoned like a true Elemens of Wisdom! But to tell the tale, it all begins with a Pokémon rumored in legend to be the source all creation… Arceus, the Alpha Pokémon.”
Hiyori looked towards the inky blackness of the void from which a large creature came galloping into sight. As it came nearer, Sapph and Nora gasped at Arceus’s majesty. A ten foot tall being, Arceus would be hard to describe in comparative terms. Arceus galloped across the cosmos on golden hooves, its pure white coat interrupted only by the black of its face (from which green eyes gleamed) and underbelly as the otherworldly golden hoop that circled its middle. Green stones glittered from various junctions of the brace, from which energy flowed and shaped itself into what seemed like a thousand hands. The powerful appendages swirled the galaxies around, forcing matter to compress and take form. Planets were left in the wake of the majestic Pokémon’s dash across space, one of which Hiyori pointed to – their world.
“Arceus created three super legends to maintain its new creation: Dialga, who began the chronicling of natural events; Palkia, who governed the dimensions and space that the world occupied and Giratina, the master of the alternate world which exists to counterbalance this one.”
“Hold up,” Sapph said suddenly. “Are you telling me there are an evil Sapph and Nora in another dimension or something?”
“Or something, Sapphire,” Hiyori said expressionlessly. “Giratina commands a dimension where time is reversed; space is reversed almost as though in a mirror and darkness denser than anything imaginable exists. A world where creation suffers from death and regresses to birth and non-existence, where your descendants exist before you do. That’s the sort of world Giratina rules.”
Hiyori continued the tale by saying, “Arceus, along with these three lesser gods, created the world from nought and filled it with life, both human and Pokémon. And the dawn of the Pokémon world shone brightly for us all.”
The scene then changed to a mountainside view of a wide, nearly boundless clear meadow with beautifully vibrant flowers and crisp crystal clear air.
Arceus then created legends to govern each landmass. These were the first creations to be granted powers. I’m sure you’ve heard of them, Sapphire… they’re part of your Johto History syllabus… Rayquaza…”
“… Ho-oh and Lugia!” Sapph exclaimed, the story finally begin to awaken his memory of his past education. “Man, I thought that was just a myth!”
“All legends have a basis in fact, Sapphire,” Hiyori replied with a smile. “Anyway, each legend created deities to command the forces of nature: Ho-oh created the legends of Raikou, Entei, Suicune and Celebi; Lugia the deities of Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres and Mew, and Rayquaza the powerful Regirock, Regice, Registeel and Regigigas; Latias and Latios. Despite all this, Arceus maintained power of the essences of all life… what gives man and Pokémon the power to battle.”
“Humans? Power to battle?” Nora queried.
“Humans don’t have powers,” Sapph scoffed. “Only Pokémon do.”
“Believe me, Sapph,” Hiyori said seriously. “Man was once as powerful as the Pokémon. You see,” she said as the scenery changed once more to a mountaintop, barren and rocky atop which Arceus stood, sixteen lights revolving around it like miniature, glowing planets around a colossal, quadrupedal sun. “I wonder if you’ve ever heard the legends of the Plates?”
“Made in China?” Sapph joked.
“Not quite,” Hiyori said with a thin-lipped smile. “Arceus decided that all creation deserved a portion of power the legendaries wielded. The Plates were his way of giving that power to the world. It created sixteen, one for each element… watch.”
As the foursome looked on, Arceus let loose a musical cry and the sixteen lights flew off at high speeds across the globe. The Pokémon they passed over glowed with the same hue and intensity, and began to change form. They developed gills, under went physical transformations, grew to colossal size, shrank to miniscule, and some underwent changes that made them completely different from what they were before.
“Um… aren’t there seventeen elements, Hiyori-baachan?” Nora cut in curiously.
“There are,” Hiyori said with a nod. “Do you ever wonder why there’s a Normal element?”
“So you mean to say that, in the beginning, all Pokémon were Normal types?” Nora gasped in surprise.
“That’s correct,” Hiyori agreed. “Arceus created the plates with the very spirits and essences that embody Pokémon and provide them with the power to create beams of subzero energy, sunlight powerful enough to damage Gyarados scales, breathe fire and the like. These Plates were scattered all over the world, but the power, as it passed over the inhabitants of the Pokémon world, caused a grand mass evolution, Pokémon developing powers, affiliation to types and weakness to others, strengths over others and immunities to even more.”
“Humans, however, were involved in this mass evolution too, and as the record states, their evolution involved those of emotions new to their minds, a concept that would lead the world to a near-early end… war.”
“It wasn’t so bad in the beginning, so the legend says,” Hiyori told a stunned Sapph and Nora. “The humans who developed powers came to be known as Mages. Your friend Haley is descended from the Shelspas lineage, the Clan of Water Mages. Sixteen clans of Mages arose amongst their human populace, using their gifts from Arceus to support those less endowed. But from the offspring of the Mages and the ungifted came a breed of man with power over all elements. Borne with the ability to commune with the essences of man and Pokémon and battle, they had the ability to call upon and channel the powers of all sixteen elements.”
“And these were the first Elemens, correct?” Sapph contributed.
Nora added, “And those who communed with the spirits were…?”
“The first Shamans. My descendents. Indeed,” Hiyori nodded, as several pictures more vivid than life popped into the boy and girl’s mind. Scenes of unity in which men and women which controlled the tides, caused forests to grow among other miraculous feats to the adoration of others just like them save for some disfigurations such as fiery hair and pale blue skin. “When the Elemens were discovered by the Mages to be living among those without powers, they felt cheated. They felt jealousy. They felt fear. How can people be stronger than the Mages? How can mere men fight with the powers of Arceus himself? What if the normal men demanded equality with the Mages and used the Elemens as weapons? The Mages would have to establish their authority. They would need to reign supreme.”
“Their first course of action was to seek the plates. That was easier said than done. Arceus had hidden the plates well. Some had fused together to form new, bizarre species. Others had split apart into the essence and spirit…”
“What’s the difference between an essence and a spirit?” Nora asked.
“Essence is the raw power of the element. Element attacks find their source in these forces of nature. A Spirit is the living breathing embodiment of the essence,” Hiyori explained shortly. Continuing as though Nora had not interrupted, she explained further, “the essence inhabited a random Pokémon that possessed a resonance effect with the Plate that triggered their evolution. Upon the death of the Essence bearer, the essence moves on to another random Pokémon with the same resonance anywhere in the world. This kept the essences safe.”
“And the Spirits?” Sapph queried.
“They took the form of new species of Pokémon and hid away from the world,” Hiyori answered. “Manaphy and Shaymin are the fabled Spirits of the Splash and Meadow Plates.”
“Wow,” Sapph said with an impressed whistle.
“Just you wait,” Hiyori warned the duo as the scene began to shift again. “It only gets worse...”
Nora gasped as the scene transformed itself from the haunting peace and beauty of Arceus’s Perch to a scene of chaos and disaster. Pokémon moaned in pain as people Sapph could only assume to be Mages used their powers to subjugate them to do their will. Resistance was intolerable. Resistance meant death. A story told all too clearly by the scenes of massacre that bombarded Nora and Sapph’s senses. Pokémon families were torn apart; parents killed for their defiance and the offspring threatened with the same fate if their masters were not shown total allegiance.
“No clan was able to locate their Plate and assume overall superiority. They then turned their attention to the Pokémon that like them had been gifted with the power of the essences. They subjected them to their will and stripped them of their gentility. They waged battle against each other… the origins of Pokémon battling… and the gym leaders,” she added drily, as Sapph looked horrified at the beginnings of what his life had been all about for the past two and a half months. “Although now they’ve toned down their aggression and made significant achievements as far as befriending Pokémon is concerned.”
The scene changes again, and all Sapph could think was that Hiyori was right: this was getting ugly, and fast.
“The Mages soon commanded vast armies of Pokémon that bore a resonance to their element. However, a frightening effect was observed amongst Mages that attempted to control elements other than their specialty.”
“To cut a grisly matter short,” Hiyori went on. “The women suffered often lethal illnesses when the vagabond Pokémon went berserk with fury, envy or hate. The men reflected the Pokémon’s emotions, leading them to kill their fellow clansmen, beginning with those who had dared to help bring forth and father the Elemens.”
“So that’s…that’s…” Sapph rambled helplessly.
“What’s happening to Haley? Yes,” Hiyori answered succinctly. “Her non-Water type must be feeling particularly vengeful emotions right now, and they affected its master.”
The scenery changed again, and what came next was enough to make a Snorlax sick.
Mages that helped the normal yet brother men now attacked them ferociously. Defenseless, the normal men and women fell in droves.
“No…no…” Nora moaned in horror as she sank to her knees, tears cascading down her face as se continued to watch the scene, unable to look away. “Make it stop… please… no more…”
Sapph drew her close to himself, burying her face in his chest, watching the scene unflinchingly yet with a nauseated and disgusted expression on his face. Steeling his voice, he comforted her saying, “It’s alright, Nora... Don’t look… You don’t have to… to try and be strong enough… alone… not on your own. I’m here… it’s gonna be OK…” as tears of grief washed down his face.
“Where were the Elemens?” Sapph asked Hiyori as the massacre continued, humans killing the Pokémon the Mages set upon them and the Mages killing them in turn. “Why didn’t they fight? Stop this?”
“They wanted to, Sapphire,” Hiyori replied heavily. “Those like yourself, Elemens of Courage… as well as the Elemens of Power… they were ready to fight for peace, no matter the cost, although the latter wished to fight because they could. However, the Elemens of Wisdom and Shamans wished to avoid a clash between Elemens and Mage. They hid away, like the Spirits did before them, tearfully… regretfully, leaving their parents to the mercy of the Mages. Harsh as it seemed, it was a fact that if they had met in battle, you or Nora wouldn’t exist today.”
“No…” Sapph whispered horrified as the scene finally dissolved back the interior of the wooden chalet, Nora’s small form trembling like a leaf in the wind in Sapph’s protective embrace. “…no…”
Her beady black eyes on the dying embers, Hiyori concluded her tale. “Arceus saw the destruction his benevolence had caused and wiped out the Mages. Free from their control, the Pokémon had no cause to attack the humans and the humans had no cause to defend themselves from the Pokémon. The two sides learned to live with their pasts behind them, and strived together for the future of the Pokémon world that we enjoy today.”
“W-wait,” Sapph said softly. “If Arceus destroyed all the Mages, how come Haley’s a Mage?”
“Well, the Elemens retained the genes of their parental Mage stock,” Hiyori explained. “Although they no longer have power over the elements, they have their affinity bending towards the element their ancestors did, and a talent in controlling Pokémon of that element, or training, as it is known today. Unlike Elemens, who can see the essence in the eyes of the Pokémon they encounter, if the Pokémon is an Essence bearer, that is. I take it,” she added blandly as Sapph let out a gasp of surprise as memories of several of his captures came to light. “That you have experience this before?”
“Yes,” Sapph mumbled, the startling truth hitting him like a ton of bricks.
“I sense that between the two of you, you presently possess a total of five Essence bearers,” Hiyori went on. “Grass, Bug and Fighting for you, Sapphire, and Electric and Psychic for you, Nora.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa… whoa,” Sapph interrupted, shaking his head almost as though trying to clear it of water. “I have a new question…”
“Is it about Anuvi’s irregular power spikes, former regenerative abilities, delayed evolution and the Yaiba no Hayashi?” Nora asked, not batting an eyelid at Sapph’s surprise at her insight.
“Yes, those are all attributed to the Essence of Eowmad, or the essence of Grass type Pokémon. While it serves as an automatic defense mechanism of sorts when the bearer is in extreme danger or under severe stress, it could still stunt the growth of a Pokémon of your Mongle’s level. Permanently, if abused. Using the essence’s nature to evolve your Anuvi was brave, and novel on both your parts. However, it comes with a huge risk.”
“Risk?” Sapph repeated in intrigue.
“Recall your history with your Ledian, if you will,” Hiyori said softly. “Recall your first battle with the one you marked as your rival.”
Sapph started, a flashback of a battle he’d had back in Nora’s hometown hitting him with colossal force:
-Flashback-
Outside Nightspark City Pokémon Center
Ciela turned her sharp face back towards the Bug type’s prone form and scoffed <Is that all your miserable excuse for a trainer could teach you?>
<Stop it… don’t say those things…> Ledyba mumbled.
<Uh hunh, like you can stop me saying them,> Ciela said coyly.
Ledyba’s breathing was starting to look erratic as it laboured to push itself back onto his feet. Its wings were torn from Ciela’s vicious pecking and it seemed unlikely that they would work again without care.
With what seemed to be an enormous effort, Ledyba croaked, <Sapph…isn’t…miserable…he’s…my…friend…don’t…won’t…allow…you…let…you…you…say…mean things…about…my friends…>
<If all you can do best is being a worthless punch bag then you aren’t worrying about… Talk about a crap pile! He stinks to the worst- no, wait! That’s all crap like him can do!> Ciela hissed in Ledyba’s ear with a cruel laugh as she took off towards her master, making certain to kick a patch of dirt into the Bug Pokemon's face as she turned.
“Your Ledyba can’t battle anymore, Sapph,” Carla said sniffily. “Best to pack it in…”
“You know what they say, right?” Kamren asked his companions “’Like trainer, like Pokémon’?”
Ciela completed the hypothesis, although only Ledyba could fully understand what she said, <In short, if the trainer is third rate crap, the Pokémon’s not too far behind…>
The laughter from Kamren, Carla, Chaz and Dex rang throughout the air as Sapph bowed his head helplessly. The sight made Ledyba very, very mad.
Just as Sapph was reaching for Ledyba’s pokéball to return it, Ledyba started to rise out of the dirt, his wings thrumming furiously and his eyes reduced to angry, narrow slits and taking on a dangerous red colour.
<Take. That. Back.> Ledyba said slowly, rising into the air, his fierce eyes locked on the arrogant Ciela. What looked like bright red vapour issued out from in between the joints of his exoskeleton and enveloped his body, his wings healing before everybody’s eyes, the scratches fading from sight.
Is that Aromatherapy? Carla and Haley thought incredulously, watching Ledyba with huge eyes.
Can’t be, Dex thought with his eyes narrowed against the clouds of dust Ledyba’s furiously-thrumming wings created.
Sapph raising his head said with a morose, hollow expression, “Ledyba, that’s enough.” Then, his voice cracking slightly, repeated “Enough.”
“On guard, Ciela,” Kamren murmured worriedly to his Pokémon. “This could get dangerous…”
<Or what? Oooh, I’m… so… scared! > Ciela laughed.
< You should be.> Ledyba whispered, his fist clenching as he gathered cosmic energy around it for a Comet Punch.
< Really? Well, what will you do if I don’t …oh, what was it? Oh, yeah… take it back? > The Flying type Pokémon challenged Ledyba.
<I’ll make you.> Ledyba hissed, his voice totally different from the usually cheerful tone Sapph was used to. The energy on his fist crackled as it reached an unattained volume and yellow sparks started flying off. Sapph noticed and for the first time ever, and even though he couldn’t comprehend what was going on between the two Pokémon on the field, was scared for and of his usually timid companion.
“Ledyba?” Sapph asked uncertainly.
Before either trainer saw it, Ledyba had vanished, reappearing as he Comet Punched Ciela high into the air with a fist of pure lightning. Ciela screeched as the electricity coursed through her body, causing her muscles to seize up.
Sapph and Kamren were shocked, to put it mildly.
“What the f- “Kamren began. “What the f***ing hell did you do, Sappy?”
“Since when did you know Thunder Punch, Ledyba?” Sapph asked himself, as stunned as the others. The memory of his battle against Arlene’s Ballomb came to mind in which Ledyba’s Comet Punch seemed to swallow up Ballomb’s Thundershock attack, and Sapph’s jaw dropped as a crazy theory hit him.
No way…is that the true power of Comet Punch? Sapph wondered bewilderedly.
“Now he’s using the ‘F-word’,” Haley mumbled, who’d have normally written this down to use as blackmail later but was as stunned as everyone else at Ledyba’s sudden surge of speed and power. Not to mention the fact that Ledyba had mastered the use of Thunder Punch, which was supposedly impossible.
<What was THAT?!! Where’d that insolent bug get that much power from?> The Zwi-tail asked, wincing from the force of the attack as she rose into the air against her will, trying her best not to succumb to paralysis.
“Not to mention the Thunder Punch attack,” Dex said in wonder.
Flapping her wings and finally able to stabilize her flight pattern, Ciela was finally able to sustain flight about fifteen feet up, where she started scanning the field below, furiously looking around for the ‘insolent bug’ that had the gall to hit her.
A split second later, Kamren’s Zwi-tail experienced a world of pain as the Five Star Pokémon appeared out of nowhere, dishing out lightning fast jabs to every part of her body that he could reach. It felt to Ciela as though she was being crushed by a Rock Slide technique.
“How’d that Ledyba’s Comet Punch get so strong? I’ve heard even Cassandra’s Ledian didn’t pack that hard a punch!” Carla demanded of Sapph, her eyes wide and fixated on her friend’s rival.
-End Flashback-
“It seems you have remembered,” Hiyori said slowly.
“What happened to Crimson then?” Sapph replied with hollow shock. “Was that the essence again?”
Hiyori nodded and said, “When the essence overloads the body of the vessel, a rage condition known as Berserk takes place…”
“’Berserk’? But only Dragon types suffer Berserk, or Beam Berserk!” Nora exclaimed.
But Hiyori shook her head and said softly, “No, Nora. It’s only been documented to occur in Dragon types, or Pokémon who abuse Hyper Beam. Berserk can be suffered from by Essence bearers as well. Fury is its main trigger, and tranquility, purpose and drive are its suppressants.”
The fireplace had been reduced to a few glowing embers during the course of the discussion and the blood red tinge of dusk now filled the cabin, lighting up the twosome’s pale faces with red light.
“Now you know what your lineage is, what they had to do, now in your struggles against your enemies, and as the time comes near for you to respond to the call… the need to fight…” Hiyori began, before Sapph cut in angrily.
“Cut the friggin’ crap, you hag! What the hell do you want us to do with this knowledge?! What do you plan to achieve?” Sapph bellowed angrily, Nora wiping her eyes feebly on the back of her hand. “We don’t have any enemies, why would we need to fight? Why believe we have to have anything to do with this crazy story of yours?”
This is one of the over the top TCQ chapters, ever. Alot of explanations will be addressed in this chapter. So sit back, relax and enjoy!
Special thanks go to DakPersian 479 for one of Zula's lines (you'll know which one...) and EonMaster One for the use of the name Katrina. Yeah yeah, of all the girls names i could have used , it had to be that one...
This chapter may need a T rating... Just thought i should before i get into trouble...
Chapter Twenty Eight: In Their Elemens
Four mornings after the battle between Haley and Nora found the trio and their collective seventeen Pokémon waking up to the sleepy dawn of the day they had hoped to arrive at the next destination on their tour of the continent: Olde Teak Village.
The first to awake (as was her custom) was a small, silvery white quadruped with dirty white streaks on fur on the tip of her paint brush tail which matched her ruff. Yawning slightly and stretching her foot tall form, Snowdrop shook herself free of slumber and crept gently out from the tent which her owner shared with the Water Pokémon loving researcher until she got her own. The clearing they had pitched camp in the night before was still draped in mist which gave the trees an eerie, misty look, which when coupled with the silence of the clearing gave it a ghostly appearance.
As she stood still in the clearing watching the sun rise above the treetops, a rustling noise erupted from the bush into her right. Startled, Snowdrop spun around as another creature which could have passed for her twin save for the changes in colouration leapt from the bushes.
Lavender hit the ground lightly as her ears twitched, a light breeze ruffling her fur as she closed her eyes in concentration. Snowdrop stared; although she wasn’t surprised at seeing another Eevee recently, knowing that she wasn’t the only early bird would take some getting used to.
A second rustling later revealed Anuvi, a larger, green speed machine with a cowl of leaves flying into the clearing amongst a shower of leaves. His violet eyes fixed exclusively on the brown and cream coloured vulpine Pokémon, the Squirrage drew his hand back and released a flurry of knifelike leaves, not unlike a strafe of throwing knives, upon both Evolution Pokémon.
<Yow! Hey, watch it!> Snowdrop yelled in panic, startling the other Eevee, who faltered for a split second, exclaiming, <Snowdrop? Is that yo-oof!> Lavender, distracted by the knowledge of an unexpected spectator, got nailed all over her small body by the sharp, painful leaves, blasting her off her feet into the air and into a clump of bamboo saplings, her body glowing green and growing as she soared through the air. Flipping over before she made contact with the saplings, she planted her dainty dirt brown feet into the trees, springing her into the air, her leaf like tail glowing a vibrant green.
The Squirrage, noticing the change from defense to offense, conjured his patented energy sword attack and crossed Yaiba no Hayashi with Leaf Blade as they flashed past each other. Six feet landed on the ground simultaneously and the owner of the daintier feet glowed green once more as she shrank back into her shorter, slightly squatter Normal type form.
Lavender and Anuvi tuned to Snowdrop with sheepish expressions on their faces and said to a panic-stricken Snowdrop, <Gee, sorry, Snowdrop! Didn’t think there’d be anyone up this early!>
Snowdrop could only nod back, her eyes as wide as saucers.
***
Within a space of thirty minutes the campsite was thriving with activity. Sapph had returned to the campsite with Ace and Crimson (Zen had been invited, but had blatantly turned down the offer) with a pile of kindling whilst Haley ran her Pokémon through their daily drills. Nora sat a short ways off watching her Kirlia Galante and Sapph’s Growlithe Arcana duke it out in a training match. Marmy and Snowdrop watched nearby cheering on their teammate whilst Lavender cheered on Arcana. Anuvi was keeping a cool eye on Delgato, who had the appearance of a Casanova denied his daily dosage of over flirt.
<Hey, Galante! Don’t tell me you’re taking a beating from a girl!> Marmy heckled Arcana in a whimsical manner.
Grinning in a dangerous way, Arcana poured on the heat and called back, <How about I show you just how tough a girl can be!>
<Ooh, I’m-a shakin’,> Marmy commented in his lively, overly comical voice, his arms crossed and a playful note detectable in his voice. <I’m-a simply shaking in-a my shoos-uh.>
<Wise decision,> Arcana grunted, a bluish white stream of incineration forcing Galante to perform a Teleport attack to avoid becoming part of a Psychic barbecue issuing from her mouth.
“Firewood’s in!” Sapph announced, placing the split logs he and his Pokémon had gathered during their training walk onto their makeshift fireplace. ”Who’s on cooking detail?”
The threesome had been taking shifts in preparing the meals (Sapph, under Nora’s careful tutelage, had improved in leaps and bounds since the first day that she was with the duo, when Marmy had neatly thrown up all over his lap on his first attempt since the Nightspark City local had joined their group).
“I’d say it’s Haley’s turn,” Nora said quizzically, looking over at the researcher in the making from her journal in which she had been scribbling since she had awoken. She leapt off the log on which she had been sitting and beckoned Snowdrop over for some training.
Haley looked over and nodded cheerfully, and moved over to the fireplace where Sapph had deposited the firewood and had called Arcana over to start a fire.
<Say, has anyone seen Senora Flora?> Delgato said slyly, edging closer to an oblivious Lavender as the Evolution Pokémon began to chat up Galante on where Arcana and Marmy had mysteriously disappeared to.
A split second later a razor-sharp leaf hummed gently as it vibrated rapidly in the ground, an eight of an inch from the Crackle Pokémon’s paw. Delgato looked up with a start at Anuvi who gave him a look that clearly explained that he had missed on purpose and he wouldn’t miss again if he tried anything funny with his foster sister.
<I’m sure Lady Flora shalt not miss her morning repast,> Galante replied in clipped tones. <She surely hast not missed a single gathering yet.>
<Galante’s a-right, you know,> Marmy announced in his whimsical Italian voice as he and the Puppy Pokémon emerged from behind a tree, Arcana bursting with giggles.
<What’s with you, Arcana?> Anuvi asked suspiciously. <And where have you been?>
Arcana flushed faintly at the curiousity of her team leader but was saved the necessity of answering by the arrival of Zen and Flora, the former looking slightly worse for wear, purple bruising showing under the fur just beneath his eye as well as all over his two and a half foot body.
<Forget about Arcana… what in Latios’ name happened to you?> Crimson exclaimed, looking Zen over in surprise. Zen shot a hateful glare at the Five Star Pokémon as he sat apart from the others with his back firmly showing to the group as Flora floated over and settled down, looking perfectly at peace.
<Am I to assume,> Ace asked Flora in clipped yet hushed tones, <that Sergeant Zen attempted to attack you earlier?>
Flora lowered her head in assent and whispered back, <He was rather rude about it. All he had to do was ask. He startled me and I retaliated with Giant Tail. I offered to heal his injuries with Dawning Cry but he was so stubbornly proud.>
<Hmph,> Anuvi said in a brittle voice, shooting a disdainful look at the Taebrawl’s back. <Don’t worry about Lord of the Dickwads over there… all you hurt was his ego. His skull’s too thick for you to do any serious damage to his body.>
<None the less,> Flora said calmly, smiling faintly. <I must thank him. If he hadn’t attacked me, I’d have learnt Solarbeam much later…>
<Heeeeeyyyy! Break-a-fast’s a-readyyyy!> Marmy announced to the group from by the camp fire, where he and Arcana had already begun tucking in along with Haley’s Pokémon, who regarded the Thermal Pokémon coldly. Although their trainer had come to regard Nora formally as a friend, the grudge that had developed after their defeat was much harder to shake off.
The other Pokémon, save for Zen moved, closer to the fire and picked up their food and began to tuck in, Lavender and Snowdrop giggling like a couple of schoolgirls on the topic of Marmy and Arcana developing feeling for each other.
<What of Sir Zen?> Galante asked Anuvi, watching the Combatant Pokémon continue to sulk coldly in the corner of the campsite.
<Leave ‘im,> Anuvi said despairingly, ignoring the Taebrawl completely. <He can look after himself just… fine.>
<I’ll take his to him,> Crimson volunteered, his feelings about Zen’s distant attitude with the team bordering on guilt. It was he, after all, who had battled and weakened the ferocious Fighting type, enabling Sapph to capture him and end his life as a free Pokémon.
Fluttering over to the hunched-over form of Zen, Crimson placed his bowl of food next to him and said, <You must be hungry. Here, have some.>
Zen didn’t even acknowledge his presence, but merely stared ahead, his eyes narrowing slightly as his metallic left limb clenched around his right.
<Say, Zen,> Crimson went on in hushed tones. <I’m sorry about what happened back in Pampa City, bu->
<Since when have I ever needed your pity?> Zen snapped back, whipping his left hand around and lifting the food bowl forcefully off the ground and throwing it in the Ledian’s face.
Witnessing this, Anuvi sprang to his feet, his sharp teeth drawn back in a furious snarl.
<You may enjoy servitude, you spineless Caterpie,> Zen growled, rising to his feet angrily and readying his Tae Kwon Do stance, <but I don’t! Try your miserable pity act on me again, and you’ll learn who should really be sorry!>
<That’s it! Let me at him!> Anuvi bellowed, looking close to deranged. Straining against Flora, Bubbles and Blitzkrieg, he let loose another yell. <I’ll kill that little… GRAAAGH!>
<It’s OK, Anuvi.>
<Wha-?> Anuvi faltered in shock, staring into Crimson’s sad, understanding eyes as the Bug type walked back to the fire slowly.
<It’s OK,> Crimson repeated sadly. <Zen’s just used to being independent. Give him time, he’ll come around…>
Watching the Taebrawl walk away, Anuvi shrugged off his restrainers disdainfully and grunted, <Whatever. But I’m seriously starting to hate that guy.>
***
With all their Pokémon back in their balls, the trio made good time in their march towards Olde Teake Village.
“So what’s Olde Teake’s story?” Sapph asked Haley and Nora without enthusiasm, his arms behind his head as he swaggered without any of his usual zip.
“”Well, to put it in a nutshell, Sapph… old,” Nora smiled. “Olde Teake’s is one of the oldest settlements in the history of the entire Pokémon world.”
“Ah… so.” Sapph said disinterestedly.
“Oh, quit griping, Sapph!” Haley said in a tired yet spirited voice. “Think of the history!”
“I’d rather think of my next gym battle,” Sapph muttered back stubbornly. Glancing sideways at Haley, he added, “and what’s your deal anyways?”
“I dunno,” Haley gasped, fanning herself with her shirt collar. “Are either of you two feeling this heat?”
“Well, it is a warm day,” Nora agreed, also watching the young researcher panting feverishly with concern. “Are you OK? Do you need to rest?”
“I dunno,” Haley said in a haggard voice, sweat cascading down her brow. “Wow, I’m so hot right now. It’s like I’m… burning from… from the… insiiiiide,” she groaned, her eyes rolling up her skull as she promptly passed out.
Reacting instinctively, Sapph sprang forward and caught her before she hit the ground. Turning her over, he stared as she seemed to turn red, sweating bullets and gasping for air.
“Haley? Haley! Say something, Haley!” Sapph yelled anxiously, cradling Haley in his arms.
“What’s wrong with her?” Nora squealed with worry, kneeling next to them and feeling her forehead. “Sapph, she’s burning up!”
“We’ve gotta get her to a doctor!” Sapph yelled, lifting Haley up bodily in bridal fashion and rising to his feet swiftly, his sapphire blue irises fixing themselves on Olde Teake, separated from them by about five kilometers of forest road. His eyes narrowed in determination, he muttered, “Better get out your bike, Nora. You’ll need it to keep up…”
Thirty minutes later, a short-of-breath Sapph and Nora wheeled into town, the former cradling Haley in his arms. Skidding to a braking halt, Sapph’s eyes swiveled around, yelling “Hey, we need a doctor here! Anybody!?”
“Sapph, up there!” Nora gasped, pointing up the main street at a large, rustic multi-roomed chalet that like many of the other (smaller) buildings around was made entirely of logs. “That’s gotta be the hospital!”
“C’mon then! Let’s go!” Sapph yelled, dashing off up the street, his eyes fixed solely on the red cross-shaped sign that hung above its entrance. He was so fixed on his destination, he didn’t see the ancient lady who was crossing the street with a large, dark brown creature with her who was muscling several shopping bags or hear Nora’s warning shout until it was too late.
One second, Sapph was barreling towards the hospital, the next the horizon seemed to spin out of control as he went flying, courtesy of the strange creature’s swiftly executed Arm Thrust. Gripping Haley more tightly, Sapph landed painfully on his back after a spectacularly comical loop-de-loop, gasping in pain.
“Sapph! Are you alright?!” Nora screamed in terror as Sapph sat up instantly, the impact his back experienced burning numb pain all over his body.
Swiveling around angrily, he yelled at his assailant, “Hey, what gives? I’m in a hurry!”
“Well, well… an Elemens,” The old lady said in some surprise, staring into Sapph’s angry blue eyes with her own beady black eyes. The creature that had sent Sapph for the loop revealed itself to be a four foot tall bidedal creature. If Sapph wasn’t worried about Haley’s health at the time, he’d had probably whipped out his Pokédex and scanned it at once.
“Yeah, yeah, lady,” Sapph growled impatiently, “very nice. But I have a sick friend here, and chitchat’s not really gonna help, is it?”
“A Water Mage as well?! Incredible! But this condition…” The old woman said in shock before Sapph interjected angrily.
“Thanks for the scientific prognosis, doc!” Sapph said exasperatedly. “But unless you can help us get her feeling better, get outta our way!”
“Sapph! I’m so sorry,” Nora said apologetically to the old lady as the creature that accompanied her growled angrily as it tensed its arm angrily, “but our friend suddenly got ill on our way here, and we just-“.
“I must be dreaming,” the woman said in shock staring Nora in the eye, leaving the demure youth feeling awkward. “Two Elemens walking together?”
“Whaddya call us?” Sapph said, angry that this woman was more interested in spouting rubbish than letting them get Haley to the hospital. “’Elemens’? ‘Water Mage’?! Sorry, lady… but we’ve no time to play ar… H-HEY! LET ME GO, YOU GIANT FURBALL!” Sapph bellowed, as the Pokémon hefted Sapph and Haley effortlessly into the air with one clawed hand, the other clutching the old woman’s grocery.
“What the…?” Nora gasped at its astonishing strength as the old woman beckoned to her whispering urgently, “Quickly, miss! This way, before we’re seen!”
Totally nonplussed, Nora pushed her bicycle up the street after their mysterious guide, whilst staying out of sight of a shrouded figure, who watched Sapph, the old lady and her Pokémon hurry up the street, who pulled a small transistor out of his cloak and muttered, “Sapph Manson has arrived in Olde Teake Village, Lord Theologos…”
***
The silver hair youth known only to the world as Lord Theologos sat in his shadowy throne room, mulling over his large black and red chessboard as the report came in. Theologos was silent for a moment or two as he contemplated his next thought of action, the lime green holographic map of Corei revolving before him, lighting up his face with a ghastly, sickly green that left him with a tinge that would be reminiscent of a large, sea creature that would not fare well on land.
“Ah… he has, has he?” Theologos said calmly, his inscrutably smooth and youthful face hiding inner worry.
“Yes, milord,” the agent’s voice announced over the wireless that stood before the silver-haired man who sat upon his cold black throne. “The shaman has already accosted them.”
Theologos’s golden eyes narrowed slightly but his voice remained as cheerful as ever as he said, “Is that right? This could prove troublesome…”
“Shall I tail them? He seemed to have another companion, but I didn’t get a good enough look at her face.”
“No bother,” Theologos drawled playfully, like a Persian that had seen a Rattata it wished to play with before moving in for the kill. “We need to silence Mr. Manson and the shaman swiftly. Probably wipe Olde Teake off the map… evacuate your post. Move to White Tower University and contact Captain Cleopatra. Our little problem,” he ended, an evil glint in his eye as he cut the communication link with the grunt, “will be addressed in grand style.”
***
The weird woman had led her Pokémon and Nora to a small log chateau half way up the mountain trail that lead out of the village. Many of the chalets that made up Olde Teake dotted the trail and broke up the continual pine forest canopy at random intervals. Nora followed half a step behind, her eyes glued on the creature which Sapph’s Pokédex had revealed to be a Molumo, a Ground and Fighting type Pokémon. According to Sapph’s device, their tremendous strength, coupled with their stout, powerful claws enable them to dig through the toughest rocks of the earth’s crust in creating their intricate subterranean homes.
Sapph was none too happy with this travel arrangement, and was rather rude about mentioning it. Nora (and the old woman apparently) however knew better that this upswing in Sapph’s French expletive-usage was due to concern for Haley’s health.
“Well, here we are,” the old woman said cheerfully, opening the door of a particularly shabby hut in front of which the weeds began to creep up on the tenant. “Excuse the mess, an old lady can only do so much alone. Come in, and for Latias’s sake, girl, stop looking back! Do you want them to recognize you?”
Thoroughly bewildered, Nora obeyed quickly, wheeling her bicycle in after the elderly woman and the till-swearing Sapph, taking in the golden Pidgeot feathers and flaming tail hairs of Ponyta that hung from the ceiling. A large window stood set in the wall opposite a large stone fireplace. Two doorways and a staircase led off from the hall, one led to a room with pots and pans hanging from the roof (Obviously the kitchen, she thought as she folded her bike and stowed it away in her backpack) and the other leading to a small room, cluttered with books, scrolls and parchment. The staircase led to the upper floor where the old lady’s bathroom and bedroom were obviously situated.
“Molumo, would you please take the lady upstairs and lay her in my bed?” The woman asked politely. “And then come back down and keep an eye on these two while I prepare some Oddish root tea?”
<Ja, Frau Hiyori,> the Molumo said in a guttural voice as he extricated Sapph from the bundle of bodies he was carrying and deposited him bodily on the floor on a woven, circular mat which belched clouds of dust as Sapph hit the floor. Nora rushed over to help the still-swearing Sapph to his feet, whose expletives had subsided to a continual slur of violent muttered threats.
<Please, be comfortable,> the Molumo said in his thickset voice. <Your friend is in safest hands, ja?>
And with that, he carried Haley gently up the rickety stairway as Frau Hiyori reappeared, carrying a tray laden with a saucer of cookies, a willow patterned teapot and three handless tea cups.
“Please, make yourself comfortable,” Frau Hiyori said warmly, setting the tray on the low table before the youths and bustling back into the kitchen from which pale violet smoke was issuing, bringing with it a violently putrid smell, “I must return to the Victreebel draught for your friend.”
“Victree-what?” Sapph blanched, shooting to his feet once more in disgust. “For whom? There’s no way we’re lettin’ a qua-ARGH!” Sapph yelled as Molumo who’d just come down from putting Haley to bed, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and forced him onto his butt. Painfully.
<I say your friend is in safest hands, nein?> Molumo said in a dangerously calm voice, leering at Sapph and Nora calmly. <Now, sit and drink your tea, bitte.>
Sapph and Nora felt very small under the intimidating glare of the Sumo Mole Pokémon and decided to do as they were told. Glancing at each other; both reached for a teacup and drained their contents in one shot.
What they felt next could only be described as nauseating: not only was the tea beyond scalding hot, it tasted like a blend of Grimer acid and rancid Miltank milk, with just a touch of rotting, week-old Magikarp. Sapph developed a horrible twitch while Nora’s coral blue hair stood on end. Cold shivers ran all over their body as they longed to throw up al the fluid. Indeed Sapph came close and would have pulled it off if not for the reappearance of Frau Hiyori, who carried a steaming bowl of purplish brown broth and said, “Good, good! Drink up! It will prepare you for…what is to come.”
And with a creepy smile, she hobbled on up the stairs.
If the preteens weren’t freaked out yet, they surely were now.
“I say we take our chances with Diggy-dumb here and get Haley outta here before she poisons her,” Sapph wheezed, his voice going up by about an octave and a half from the gag-worthy aftertaste the tea had left them experiencing.
Before they could formulate an escape plan, the old lady was back, a broad smile on her face. Almost as though reading their minds, she commented airily, “I wouldn’t try to escape with the Water Mage upstairs just yet. But you should be relieved to know that her fever’s broken now and her essence is resting.”
Sapph and Nora stared open-mouthed at the old lady as she settled herself cross-legged and pouring herself a cup of tea, added, “And in any case, this is the safest place for you to be right now.”
Smiling at Sapph and Nora’s looks of shock, she took a sip of tea and exhaled in relief. As Molumo finished starting a fire, he moved towards the table and refilled their cups. Sapph and Nora stared appalled at the cups, but with one glance at Molumo, who’d settled himself behind Frau Hiyori and smiled an evil leer.
Sapph and Nora gulped and hastened to imbibe more of the revolting brew. Nora stopped Sapph as he raised the tea cup to his lips to take another hurried sip and pointed his head at the elderly woman, who had taken another drawn-out sip and exhaled heavily again.
Sapph took the hint and the duo imitated her actions. The drink was still revolting, but less so and more relaxing suddenly (Sapph noticed with surprise) as they exhaled softly.
Taking the initiative (for once), Nora took a deep breath and asked the old lady, “Thank you for your… hospitality. But… who are you? What are you? Why did you bring us here? Why did you call Sapph and I Elemens?”
Sapph continued with the questions, “Good questions. Just what is an Elemens? Why’d you call Haley a Water Mage? What the heck did you mean by ‘her essence is resting’? How do you know what’s wrong with her… what’s wrong with her?”
“And why were you so intent on telling me not to look back?” Nora summed up, looking curiously at the old lady as she took yet another sip.
“Pretty intelligent questions,” the old lady said with a twinkle in her eye. “I believe you merit full and honest answers.”
“Good,” Sapph said in relief, relaxing a little on his cushion. “’Cause being kept in the dark is no joke.”
The woman laughed again, her silvery white hair glowing amber red in the firelight and said, “Just when I thought you were an Elemens of Power. Turns out you’re an Elemens of Courage, Sapphire Christin Manson. Quite a surprise with your lineage so steeped in Fire Mage blood.”
Sapph’s jaw dropped. So did Nora’s.
“H-ho-how’d you… nobody in Corei knows my full… when did you…” Sapph stammered, completely winded by the lady’s knowledge.
“I know a lot more about you than I’m letting on, Sapphire. I know a lot about both of you… Nora Katrina Saunders,” the woman chuckled, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “Don’t look down on your names. Especially you, Sapphire,” she added with a knowing smile. “Not many men are named after something so precious, after all.”
Sapph was left in muted shock, blushing scarlet as Nora let out a nervous, muffled giggle.
“Well, to answer your questions… my full name is Hiyori Gemma Retsuki,” the woman smiled again, taking another sip of tea. “I’m a shaman spiritualist, and this is my only Pokémon still alive from my heydays, Molumo.”
<Pleased to be making your acquaintances, Herr and Fraulein Elemens,> Molumo greeted in his deep voice.
“Uhh…Likewise,” Nora said nervously and Sapph chuckled with equal apprehension.
“I believe your next question was ‘Why did you bring us here?’” Hiyori said calmly. “Well, it looks like you came to me.”
She then let out a wild peal of laughter as Sapph and Nora sweat dropped.
“Just kidding, young ones. I brought you here because you need to be educated on your legacy,” Hiyori said simply.
“’Legacy’?” Sapph and Nora echoed in unison.
“That’s right. Your legacy as Elemens.”
“OK, back to my question. What are Elemens?” Sapph said, a little impatiently.
“Well, that answer’s not as simple to explain,” Hiyori said worriedly, glancing at the sun outside the window, which began to tinge the horizon with its setting crimson. “It involves a trip.”
“A… trip?” Nora repeated unsurely.
“Yes…” Hiyori muttered, reaching up the sleeve of her kimono and withdrawing a tiny drawstring bag. Opening it under Sapph and Nora’s curious stares, she pinched a small quantity of what seemed to be glittering white powder and spreading it gently in the fire, announced enigmatically, “A trip… to the beginning of time.”
The room’s walls suddenly vanished as the foursome were engulfed in roaring, blurred sounds and violently flashing lights as Sapph, Nora and Hiyori’s hair blew about as they seemed to soar backwards at an incredible speed, albeit staying rooted firmly in place.
The three humans and Molumo stopped suddenly in an inky black void with nothing apparently holding tem up. Nora screamed and clutched Sapph’s arm in terror, Sapph was too stunned to be shocked.
“Cool special effects, Hiyori-baachan,” Sapph said appreciatively. “Where are we?”
“Nowhere,” Hiyori said evenly. “This is the beginning of time, remember?”
“B-b-be-be-beginning of t-t-t-ti-time?!” Nora squeaked in panic.
“Relax, Nora,” Hiyori said soothingly. “Only your essences were transported here. Our bodies are fine.”
“That’s a comfort,” Sapph remarked drily.
“Isn’t it?” Hiyori said happily, not catching Sapph’s sarcasm.
“But how did you… which time-travelling Pokémon’s powder did you use? Don’t tell me you- you knew Celebi?” Sapph gasped.
“No, it can’t be Celebi,” Nora said, although still severely shaken. “Only our essences - whatever they are – were sent here. Our bodies are still in the present… Hiyori-baachan… was that powdered Xatu feather you threw in the fireplace?”
Hiyori smiled a toothless grin and said, “Reasoned like a true Elemens of Wisdom! But to tell the tale, it all begins with a Pokémon rumored in legend to be the source all creation… Arceus, the Alpha Pokémon.”
Hiyori looked towards the inky blackness of the void from which a large creature came galloping into sight. As it came nearer, Sapph and Nora gasped at Arceus’s majesty. A ten foot tall being, Arceus would be hard to describe in comparative terms. Arceus galloped across the cosmos on golden hooves, its pure white coat interrupted only by the black of its face (from which green eyes gleamed) and underbelly as the otherworldly golden hoop that circled its middle. Green stones glittered from various junctions of the brace, from which energy flowed and shaped itself into what seemed like a thousand hands. The powerful appendages swirled the galaxies around, forcing matter to compress and take form. Planets were left in the wake of the majestic Pokémon’s dash across space, one of which Hiyori pointed to – their world.
“Arceus created three super legends to maintain its new creation: Dialga, who began the chronicling of natural events; Palkia, who governed the dimensions and space that the world occupied and Giratina, the master of the alternate world which exists to counterbalance this one.”
“Hold up,” Sapph said suddenly. “Are you telling me there are an evil Sapph and Nora in another dimension or something?”
“Or something, Sapphire,” Hiyori said expressionlessly. “Giratina commands a dimension where time is reversed; space is reversed almost as though in a mirror and darkness denser than anything imaginable exists. A world where creation suffers from death and regresses to birth and non-existence, where your descendants exist before you do. That’s the sort of world Giratina rules.”
Hiyori continued the tale by saying, “Arceus, along with these three lesser gods, created the world from nought and filled it with life, both human and Pokémon. And the dawn of the Pokémon world shone brightly for us all.”
The scene then changed to a mountainside view of a wide, nearly boundless clear meadow with beautifully vibrant flowers and crisp crystal clear air.
Arceus then created legends to govern each landmass. These were the first creations to be granted powers. I’m sure you’ve heard of them, Sapphire… they’re part of your Johto History syllabus… Rayquaza…”
“… Ho-oh and Lugia!” Sapph exclaimed, the story finally begin to awaken his memory of his past education. “Man, I thought that was just a myth!”
“All legends have a basis in fact, Sapphire,” Hiyori replied with a smile. “Anyway, each legend created deities to command the forces of nature: Ho-oh created the legends of Raikou, Entei, Suicune and Celebi; Lugia the deities of Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres and Mew, and Rayquaza the powerful Regirock, Regice, Registeel and Regigigas; Latias and Latios. Despite all this, Arceus maintained power of the essences of all life… what gives man and Pokémon the power to battle.”
“Humans? Power to battle?” Nora queried.
“Humans don’t have powers,” Sapph scoffed. “Only Pokémon do.”
“Believe me, Sapph,” Hiyori said seriously. “Man was once as powerful as the Pokémon. You see,” she said as the scenery changed once more to a mountaintop, barren and rocky atop which Arceus stood, sixteen lights revolving around it like miniature, glowing planets around a colossal, quadrupedal sun. “I wonder if you’ve ever heard the legends of the Plates?”
“Made in China?” Sapph joked.
“Not quite,” Hiyori said with a thin-lipped smile. “Arceus decided that all creation deserved a portion of power the legendaries wielded. The Plates were his way of giving that power to the world. It created sixteen, one for each element… watch.”
As the foursome looked on, Arceus let loose a musical cry and the sixteen lights flew off at high speeds across the globe. The Pokémon they passed over glowed with the same hue and intensity, and began to change form. They developed gills, under went physical transformations, grew to colossal size, shrank to miniscule, and some underwent changes that made them completely different from what they were before.
“Um… aren’t there seventeen elements, Hiyori-baachan?” Nora cut in curiously.
“There are,” Hiyori said with a nod. “Do you ever wonder why there’s a Normal element?”
“So you mean to say that, in the beginning, all Pokémon were Normal types?” Nora gasped in surprise.
“That’s correct,” Hiyori agreed. “Arceus created the plates with the very spirits and essences that embody Pokémon and provide them with the power to create beams of subzero energy, sunlight powerful enough to damage Gyarados scales, breathe fire and the like. These Plates were scattered all over the world, but the power, as it passed over the inhabitants of the Pokémon world, caused a grand mass evolution, Pokémon developing powers, affiliation to types and weakness to others, strengths over others and immunities to even more.”
“Humans, however, were involved in this mass evolution too, and as the record states, their evolution involved those of emotions new to their minds, a concept that would lead the world to a near-early end… war.”
“It wasn’t so bad in the beginning, so the legend says,” Hiyori told a stunned Sapph and Nora. “The humans who developed powers came to be known as Mages. Your friend Haley is descended from the Shelspas lineage, the Clan of Water Mages. Sixteen clans of Mages arose amongst their human populace, using their gifts from Arceus to support those less endowed. But from the offspring of the Mages and the ungifted came a breed of man with power over all elements. Borne with the ability to commune with the essences of man and Pokémon and battle, they had the ability to call upon and channel the powers of all sixteen elements.”
“And these were the first Elemens, correct?” Sapph contributed.
Nora added, “And those who communed with the spirits were…?”
“The first Shamans. My descendents. Indeed,” Hiyori nodded, as several pictures more vivid than life popped into the boy and girl’s mind. Scenes of unity in which men and women which controlled the tides, caused forests to grow among other miraculous feats to the adoration of others just like them save for some disfigurations such as fiery hair and pale blue skin. “When the Elemens were discovered by the Mages to be living among those without powers, they felt cheated. They felt jealousy. They felt fear. How can people be stronger than the Mages? How can mere men fight with the powers of Arceus himself? What if the normal men demanded equality with the Mages and used the Elemens as weapons? The Mages would have to establish their authority. They would need to reign supreme.”
“Their first course of action was to seek the plates. That was easier said than done. Arceus had hidden the plates well. Some had fused together to form new, bizarre species. Others had split apart into the essence and spirit…”
“What’s the difference between an essence and a spirit?” Nora asked.
“Essence is the raw power of the element. Element attacks find their source in these forces of nature. A Spirit is the living breathing embodiment of the essence,” Hiyori explained shortly. Continuing as though Nora had not interrupted, she explained further, “the essence inhabited a random Pokémon that possessed a resonance effect with the Plate that triggered their evolution. Upon the death of the Essence bearer, the essence moves on to another random Pokémon with the same resonance anywhere in the world. This kept the essences safe.”
“And the Spirits?” Sapph queried.
“They took the form of new species of Pokémon and hid away from the world,” Hiyori answered. “Manaphy and Shaymin are the fabled Spirits of the Splash and Meadow Plates.”
“Wow,” Sapph said with an impressed whistle.
“Just you wait,” Hiyori warned the duo as the scene began to shift again. “It only gets worse...”
Nora gasped as the scene transformed itself from the haunting peace and beauty of Arceus’s Perch to a scene of chaos and disaster. Pokémon moaned in pain as people Sapph could only assume to be Mages used their powers to subjugate them to do their will. Resistance was intolerable. Resistance meant death. A story told all too clearly by the scenes of massacre that bombarded Nora and Sapph’s senses. Pokémon families were torn apart; parents killed for their defiance and the offspring threatened with the same fate if their masters were not shown total allegiance.
“No clan was able to locate their Plate and assume overall superiority. They then turned their attention to the Pokémon that like them had been gifted with the power of the essences. They subjected them to their will and stripped them of their gentility. They waged battle against each other… the origins of Pokémon battling… and the gym leaders,” she added drily, as Sapph looked horrified at the beginnings of what his life had been all about for the past two and a half months. “Although now they’ve toned down their aggression and made significant achievements as far as befriending Pokémon is concerned.”
The scene changes again, and all Sapph could think was that Hiyori was right: this was getting ugly, and fast.
“The Mages soon commanded vast armies of Pokémon that bore a resonance to their element. However, a frightening effect was observed amongst Mages that attempted to control elements other than their specialty.”
“To cut a grisly matter short,” Hiyori went on. “The women suffered often lethal illnesses when the vagabond Pokémon went berserk with fury, envy or hate. The men reflected the Pokémon’s emotions, leading them to kill their fellow clansmen, beginning with those who had dared to help bring forth and father the Elemens.”
“So that’s…that’s…” Sapph rambled helplessly.
“What’s happening to Haley? Yes,” Hiyori answered succinctly. “Her non-Water type must be feeling particularly vengeful emotions right now, and they affected its master.”
The scenery changed again, and what came next was enough to make a Snorlax sick.
Mages that helped the normal yet brother men now attacked them ferociously. Defenseless, the normal men and women fell in droves.
“No…no…” Nora moaned in horror as she sank to her knees, tears cascading down her face as se continued to watch the scene, unable to look away. “Make it stop… please… no more…”
Sapph drew her close to himself, burying her face in his chest, watching the scene unflinchingly yet with a nauseated and disgusted expression on his face. Steeling his voice, he comforted her saying, “It’s alright, Nora... Don’t look… You don’t have to… to try and be strong enough… alone… not on your own. I’m here… it’s gonna be OK…” as tears of grief washed down his face.
“Where were the Elemens?” Sapph asked Hiyori as the massacre continued, humans killing the Pokémon the Mages set upon them and the Mages killing them in turn. “Why didn’t they fight? Stop this?”
“They wanted to, Sapphire,” Hiyori replied heavily. “Those like yourself, Elemens of Courage… as well as the Elemens of Power… they were ready to fight for peace, no matter the cost, although the latter wished to fight because they could. However, the Elemens of Wisdom and Shamans wished to avoid a clash between Elemens and Mage. They hid away, like the Spirits did before them, tearfully… regretfully, leaving their parents to the mercy of the Mages. Harsh as it seemed, it was a fact that if they had met in battle, you or Nora wouldn’t exist today.”
“No…” Sapph whispered horrified as the scene finally dissolved back the interior of the wooden chalet, Nora’s small form trembling like a leaf in the wind in Sapph’s protective embrace. “…no…”
Her beady black eyes on the dying embers, Hiyori concluded her tale. “Arceus saw the destruction his benevolence had caused and wiped out the Mages. Free from their control, the Pokémon had no cause to attack the humans and the humans had no cause to defend themselves from the Pokémon. The two sides learned to live with their pasts behind them, and strived together for the future of the Pokémon world that we enjoy today.”
“W-wait,” Sapph said softly. “If Arceus destroyed all the Mages, how come Haley’s a Mage?”
“Well, the Elemens retained the genes of their parental Mage stock,” Hiyori explained. “Although they no longer have power over the elements, they have their affinity bending towards the element their ancestors did, and a talent in controlling Pokémon of that element, or training, as it is known today. Unlike Elemens, who can see the essence in the eyes of the Pokémon they encounter, if the Pokémon is an Essence bearer, that is. I take it,” she added blandly as Sapph let out a gasp of surprise as memories of several of his captures came to light. “That you have experience this before?”
“Yes,” Sapph mumbled, the startling truth hitting him like a ton of bricks.
“I sense that between the two of you, you presently possess a total of five Essence bearers,” Hiyori went on. “Grass, Bug and Fighting for you, Sapphire, and Electric and Psychic for you, Nora.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa… whoa,” Sapph interrupted, shaking his head almost as though trying to clear it of water. “I have a new question…”
“Is it about Anuvi’s irregular power spikes, former regenerative abilities, delayed evolution and the Yaiba no Hayashi?” Nora asked, not batting an eyelid at Sapph’s surprise at her insight.
“Yes, those are all attributed to the Essence of Eowmad, or the essence of Grass type Pokémon. While it serves as an automatic defense mechanism of sorts when the bearer is in extreme danger or under severe stress, it could still stunt the growth of a Pokémon of your Mongle’s level. Permanently, if abused. Using the essence’s nature to evolve your Anuvi was brave, and novel on both your parts. However, it comes with a huge risk.”
“Risk?” Sapph repeated in intrigue.
“Recall your history with your Ledian, if you will,” Hiyori said softly. “Recall your first battle with the one you marked as your rival.”
Sapph started, a flashback of a battle he’d had back in Nora’s hometown hitting him with colossal force:
-Flashback-
Outside Nightspark City Pokémon Center
Ciela turned her sharp face back towards the Bug type’s prone form and scoffed <Is that all your miserable excuse for a trainer could teach you?>
<Stop it… don’t say those things…> Ledyba mumbled.
<Uh hunh, like you can stop me saying them,> Ciela said coyly.
Ledyba’s breathing was starting to look erratic as it laboured to push itself back onto his feet. Its wings were torn from Ciela’s vicious pecking and it seemed unlikely that they would work again without care.
With what seemed to be an enormous effort, Ledyba croaked, <Sapph…isn’t…miserable…he’s…my…friend…don’t…won’t…allow…you…let…you…you…say…mean things…about…my friends…>
<If all you can do best is being a worthless punch bag then you aren’t worrying about… Talk about a crap pile! He stinks to the worst- no, wait! That’s all crap like him can do!> Ciela hissed in Ledyba’s ear with a cruel laugh as she took off towards her master, making certain to kick a patch of dirt into the Bug Pokemon's face as she turned.
“Your Ledyba can’t battle anymore, Sapph,” Carla said sniffily. “Best to pack it in…”
“You know what they say, right?” Kamren asked his companions “’Like trainer, like Pokémon’?”
Ciela completed the hypothesis, although only Ledyba could fully understand what she said, <In short, if the trainer is third rate crap, the Pokémon’s not too far behind…>
The laughter from Kamren, Carla, Chaz and Dex rang throughout the air as Sapph bowed his head helplessly. The sight made Ledyba very, very mad.
Just as Sapph was reaching for Ledyba’s pokéball to return it, Ledyba started to rise out of the dirt, his wings thrumming furiously and his eyes reduced to angry, narrow slits and taking on a dangerous red colour.
<Take. That. Back.> Ledyba said slowly, rising into the air, his fierce eyes locked on the arrogant Ciela. What looked like bright red vapour issued out from in between the joints of his exoskeleton and enveloped his body, his wings healing before everybody’s eyes, the scratches fading from sight.
Is that Aromatherapy? Carla and Haley thought incredulously, watching Ledyba with huge eyes.
Can’t be, Dex thought with his eyes narrowed against the clouds of dust Ledyba’s furiously-thrumming wings created.
Sapph raising his head said with a morose, hollow expression, “Ledyba, that’s enough.” Then, his voice cracking slightly, repeated “Enough.”
“On guard, Ciela,” Kamren murmured worriedly to his Pokémon. “This could get dangerous…”
<Or what? Oooh, I’m… so… scared! > Ciela laughed.
< You should be.> Ledyba whispered, his fist clenching as he gathered cosmic energy around it for a Comet Punch.
< Really? Well, what will you do if I don’t …oh, what was it? Oh, yeah… take it back? > The Flying type Pokémon challenged Ledyba.
<I’ll make you.> Ledyba hissed, his voice totally different from the usually cheerful tone Sapph was used to. The energy on his fist crackled as it reached an unattained volume and yellow sparks started flying off. Sapph noticed and for the first time ever, and even though he couldn’t comprehend what was going on between the two Pokémon on the field, was scared for and of his usually timid companion.
“Ledyba?” Sapph asked uncertainly.
Before either trainer saw it, Ledyba had vanished, reappearing as he Comet Punched Ciela high into the air with a fist of pure lightning. Ciela screeched as the electricity coursed through her body, causing her muscles to seize up.
Sapph and Kamren were shocked, to put it mildly.
“What the f- “Kamren began. “What the f***ing hell did you do, Sappy?”
“Since when did you know Thunder Punch, Ledyba?” Sapph asked himself, as stunned as the others. The memory of his battle against Arlene’s Ballomb came to mind in which Ledyba’s Comet Punch seemed to swallow up Ballomb’s Thundershock attack, and Sapph’s jaw dropped as a crazy theory hit him.
No way…is that the true power of Comet Punch? Sapph wondered bewilderedly.
“Now he’s using the ‘F-word’,” Haley mumbled, who’d have normally written this down to use as blackmail later but was as stunned as everyone else at Ledyba’s sudden surge of speed and power. Not to mention the fact that Ledyba had mastered the use of Thunder Punch, which was supposedly impossible.
<What was THAT?!! Where’d that insolent bug get that much power from?> The Zwi-tail asked, wincing from the force of the attack as she rose into the air against her will, trying her best not to succumb to paralysis.
“Not to mention the Thunder Punch attack,” Dex said in wonder.
Flapping her wings and finally able to stabilize her flight pattern, Ciela was finally able to sustain flight about fifteen feet up, where she started scanning the field below, furiously looking around for the ‘insolent bug’ that had the gall to hit her.
A split second later, Kamren’s Zwi-tail experienced a world of pain as the Five Star Pokémon appeared out of nowhere, dishing out lightning fast jabs to every part of her body that he could reach. It felt to Ciela as though she was being crushed by a Rock Slide technique.
“How’d that Ledyba’s Comet Punch get so strong? I’ve heard even Cassandra’s Ledian didn’t pack that hard a punch!” Carla demanded of Sapph, her eyes wide and fixated on her friend’s rival.
-End Flashback-
“It seems you have remembered,” Hiyori said slowly.
“What happened to Crimson then?” Sapph replied with hollow shock. “Was that the essence again?”
Hiyori nodded and said, “When the essence overloads the body of the vessel, a rage condition known as Berserk takes place…”
“’Berserk’? But only Dragon types suffer Berserk, or Beam Berserk!” Nora exclaimed.
But Hiyori shook her head and said softly, “No, Nora. It’s only been documented to occur in Dragon types, or Pokémon who abuse Hyper Beam. Berserk can be suffered from by Essence bearers as well. Fury is its main trigger, and tranquility, purpose and drive are its suppressants.”
The fireplace had been reduced to a few glowing embers during the course of the discussion and the blood red tinge of dusk now filled the cabin, lighting up the twosome’s pale faces with red light.
“Now you know what your lineage is, what they had to do, now in your struggles against your enemies, and as the time comes near for you to respond to the call… the need to fight…” Hiyori began, before Sapph cut in angrily.
“Cut the friggin’ crap, you hag! What the hell do you want us to do with this knowledge?! What do you plan to achieve?” Sapph bellowed angrily, Nora wiping her eyes feebly on the back of her hand. “We don’t have any enemies, why would we need to fight? Why believe we have to have anything to do with this crazy story of yours?”
*continued next post*
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Air Dragon
Ha, ha... not.
TCQ ch 28~2
Hiyori stared unblinkingly at Sapph for a few minutes during which Molumo regarded like a man who’d taken leave of his senses and Nora regained some self control.
“Nora, dear… would you be so kind as to go check on your friend?” Hiyori said sweetly to the young girl.
“Oh… um, alright,” She said in a small voice, staggering to her feet and tottering up the stairs towards the bedroom.
Hiyori waited until Nora had left the room before she went on. “Molumo, please bring out the artifacts that’ll prove our story to Mr. Sapphire.”
<Ja. But of course, Frau Hiyori,> Molumo consented before lumbering into the next room.
Sapph and Frau Hiyori sat apart from each other, the wizened old woman’s eyes boring into Sapph’s innermost being.
“I won’t let you drag Nora into this, alright?” Sapph hissed. “All she wants… all we want… is to have a Pokémon journey without having to look over our shoulders in fear.”
“I’m sorry, Sapphire,” Frau Hiyori said softly but firmly, “but, Nora was dragged into Team Shadow’s sights from her birth. The only reason they haven’t targeted her yet is that she hasn’t flaunted the power of the Essences so recklessly.”
“That’s still no reason to tell her all this!” Sapph reprimanded in a furious whisper. “What if you scar her mentally? Don’t you know how responsible for the problems of the world you could have made her feel?”
“Nora is wiser than that,” Hiyori replied, this time with a bite of impatience in her voice. “She is wiser… and far stronger than you believe, regardless of what her father and brother put her through.”
“But…”
“Enough!” Hiyori snapped with violent force in her voice which silenced Sapph instantly.
Taking a deep ragged breath, Hiyori began to speak once again. “Listen to me, Sapphire. As an Elemens of Courage, I’m sure potential enemies have already targeted you for your abilities, no matter how latent they were to you then. The fact remains that they are no longer as obscure anymore. Also, your courage is what has pulled you through not one; not two, but three Team Shadow attacks!”
Sapph only ground his teeth in anger, the old woman’s logic defeating any argument he could pose.
“And as an Elemens of Wisdom…” She went on, only to be disturbed by a jarringly different yet not unfamiliar voice to Sapph.
“’Elemens of Courage’! How’dja like ‘em apples, Vulca?”
“No men equals uninteresting. This is only so boring,” Captain Vulca exclaimed without enthusiasm. “Let’s just dispose of the boy and the hag already.”
“Zula! Vulca! Not you guys again!” Sapph vehemently exclaimed. “How’d you escape the Javelin?”
“Escape pod, anyone?” Zula crowed in laughter.
Zula then did a double take and turned red in rage at the disrespect they had been shown. “Hey, that’s Captains Zula and Vulca!” Zula exclaimed angrily, unleashing her vicious Roserade into the fray with a blast of white light.
“Please address us properly, shoreh,” Vulca said softly, releasing an evil looking Doberman with an arrowhead-ended tail and a vicious red muzzle. What looked like its ribs stood out clearly across its midnight black back. Flames licked the corers of its mid-length snout as it cut loose with a low, rumbling growl.
“Oi, old bag! You mentioned an Elemens of Wisdom nearby,” Zula crowed at Hiyori as Sapph fingered a pokéball, ready to battle. “Where is the little odd breed? C’mon,” she crooned, leering at Sapph. “You know how nice we can be…”
“Forget it, you microscopic pygmy!” Sapph declared. “No way are we telling you and your emotionless zombie of a partner anything!”
“Did… you… say… PYGMY?!” Zula shrieked, her cocky demeanor lost in a flash. “You *******! You’re so dead! Roserade, Poison Jab!”
Thorny whips whipped out of the roses that made up the Bouquet Pokémon’s hands and whipped around at Sapph and Hiyori viciously as Roserade leapt in to attack, taking the duo by surprise and rendering Sapph too slow in releasing a Pokémon. Four feet away, however, Roserade was sent flying from impacting with Molumo’s Mega Punch attack.
Molumo stood before his trainer and Sapph, with a small cloth-wrapped package tucked under his right arm, ready to battle.
Regaining his wits, Sapph pulled a different pokéball off his belt and said, “Thanks for the save, Hiyori-baachan. Leave the rest to m-“
“Sapph, grab Nora and Haley and run for it!” Hiyori hissed, as Molumo thrust the package into his arms and shoved his bodily up the stairs. “Go, now! They mustn’t get that parcel! Or either of you!”
“No way!” Sapph cried out in indignation.
“Do it!” Hiyori bellowed, as Molumo fended off a Fire Fang assault from Houndoom and without an order, ripped half the staircase apart with an Arm Thrust attack. “Neither the Shadow nor the Light must obtain that parcel!”
A loud BANG rang through the chalet at this proclamation, and Molumo fell to the floor, a dark red fluid trailing from an obviously fresh wound administered to the side of its squat head.
Sapph eyes dilated in shock as two new fighters entered the fray, wearing long white shirts and trousers. An elaborately-worked ‘L’ was embroidered onto the left hand side of their chest and both carried automatics, the one in the hand of the goon on the left smoking slightly.
Their eyes shrouded with black Ray-bans and their identically blond hair slicked back in identical fashion, the shooter looked down at the now deceased Sumo Mole Pokémon and muttered, “Abomination.”
“We are of the Light,” the other one announced openly. Raising his weapon towards the shorter of the two Team Shadow administrators, he went on. “Devils of the Shadow, we send you back to hell, together with all who swear allegiance to the abominations known as Pokémon!”
“Oh, yeah?” Zula crowed in a challenging voice. “You and whose army, Angel Boy?”
“Men,” Vulca said lackadaisically, although with a seductively hungry look in her eye. “Finally. I was bored.”
Sapph was on his butt for a split second as the shock of Molumo’s passing, before his desire to protect Haley and Nora exceeded his desire to play the hero against firearms. Scuttling up the half demolished stairway as gunshots and Pokémon cries rang out. A split second later, Sapph smelt wood burning.
Panicked, he burst into the room where Haley had been resting to find Nora and Haley there, the latter sitting up on the bed and alert, with her shirt totally unbuttoned, revealing her light blue undergarment.
“SAPPHIRE MANSON, are you INSANE?!” Haley roared, flushing furiously as she snatched up the covers.
Another gunshot rang out and as the girls squealed a scream rent the air. Sapph needed no second guess as to what had happened downstairs. Nor had he any time to be awkward about the situation he’d presently landed himself in.
“Katrina, catch!” Sapph yelled on the spur of the moment, afraid that using her first name would jeopardize her safety. As the din that had followed him into the room built up in volume, he tossed her bag to her. Nora caught it bewildered as Sapph roughly forced the package into his own bag. Slinging his and Haley’s knapsacks over his shoulder, he ran to the window and slid it open, the prevailing winds blowing noxious smoke into the room.
Coughing, Nora gasped, “Sapph, what’s going…?”
“No time! We’ve gotta get outta here!” Sapph ordered swiftly. “Out the window and into the woods, now! And whatever you do, stay out of sight of the windows!”
Nora hesitated for a minute or so as the noises grew louder. Apparently, the boys in white had backup…
Then as the flames from the lower storey reached through the floor of the bedroom and began to consume the room, Nora shrieked as she and Sapph were separated from Haley by a wall of fire.
“Katrina… GO!” Sapph bellowed, shoving Nora to the window and leaping through the wall of flames with his cloak shrouded around his body.
Nora’s eyes watered as the heat forced her back towards the window, the smoke burning her eyes painfully.
“Sapph? SAPPH!” She screamed in worry before he came bounding back into view, Haley once more in a bridal fashion lift as Sapph’s cloak fluttered around her and its owner, her top still undone, and her eyes fearful.
“C’mon! Go, go, GO!” Sapph yelled, helping Nora out the window and down the drain pipe first.
As Haley made to follow, the door exploded off its hinges and Zula and Vulca stood framed in the doorway, the former’s eyes locked on Sapph’s with venomous fury. Sapph stared back as Vulca’s Houndoom flitted into the room, wrapping its bony form around its mistress’s ankles, knowing that the stare meant that they’d not seen the last of each other.
A flash of white light appeared beside Sapph and Haley as Galante appeared in a teleportation flash. Grabbing Sapph’s leg, he cried out, <Sir Sapph!> and with a flash of white, they were gone, leaving the two fuming Captains to stare, incensed that their prey had escaped yet again.
“That was way too close,” Sapph muttered worriedly. Looking around at Nora and Galante, he said aloud, “Thanks for the assist back there, Nora. You and Galante saved us.”
Nora smiled back shakily and replied, “Hey, you don’t have to be brave by yourself, Sapph. We’re here for you.”
Sapph nodded, inwardly marveling her strength to keep smiling at a time like this after they narrowly escaped death.
“Sapph?”
“Mm-hmm?”
“Remember when we were back in the bedroom?” Nora asked nervously.
“Yeah…” Sapph said slowly, the sight that had met him as he came in when analyzed in retrospect would probably stay with him for many a day.
“Why did you call me Katrina?”
“Well, you know…” Sapph began calmly, staring at the roots at his feet before staring up into the inky blue-black sky strewn with stars. “If I called you Nora, they might be able to trace who you are and attack your family. I was looking out for you is all, Nora. I care, after all.”
“What about your family?” Nora said in worry.
Sapph laughed as he crossed his arms and leaned against the old dogwood tree’s trunk. “I wouldn’t worry about a family composed of two top-notch dojo owners and a feisty nine-year old who has my old Mogshex in her possession if I were you. They can all look after themselves just fine.”
“Thank you, Sapph.” Nora mumbled, who for some reason was still a little pink in the face.
“Hunh? What for?”
“For caring,” Nora said softly, still pink in the face. “Were you always this noble?”
“Well,” Sapph said, blushing a bit himself now. “I wouldn’t know about noble, exactly. Guess I have a helping-people thing going on. It’s rather annoying at times. Not to mention totally uncool…”
“Well, I’m glad you still have it,” Nora said softly, smiling brightly at Sapph. “If you didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”
Mentally, she added, That’s the side of you I love the most.
Sapph smiled back for a few seconds before an outraged yell rent the air, followed by a heavy, smacking sound and a muffled grunt of pain.
Sapph and Nora wheeled around as Haley reappeared from behind a clump of trees wearing a fresh shirt and dragging a dark haired youth of what seemed to be about thirteen years of age dressed all in black.
As they moved closer to get a better look, they gasped in unison, Nora in recognition of the boy whom Haley had knocked out cold.
“Sapph… it’s Reg!”
After Reg had been rescued from Haley’s clutches and revived, Reg stood before the trio of preteens, holding a cool wet handkerchief to his swelling right eye.
“Nice to see you guys,” Reg said sardonically. “Especially you, kid.”
“Whatever, Reg,” Sapph said coldly, his arms crossed and brow furrowed.
“And Little Miss Redhead… Nice body. Work out much?” Reg added, leering at Haley, who went bright red and rubbed her knuckles menacingly.
“I wouldn’t provoke Haley if I were you,” Sapph said airily, cutting Haley off.
“What brings you all the way out here, brother?” Nora asked nervously. “Is something wrong?”
“Yeah, something’s wrong,” Reg said toughly. “Grandma Rose’s dying. She wants to see you a.s.a.p. Got some stuff for you.”
“Yeah, right, Reg.” Sapph said sarcastically. “And I’m the Man in the Moon.”
“Hey, butt out, loser,” Reg snarled. “This is for family only. C’mon, Nora… we gotta go home.”
“Fine… we’ll go too…” Sapph began before Haley cut in.
“I think it’ll be better if we split up, Sapph,” she said quickly. “The league finals are only a few weeks away and you have three gyms left to challenge. You really can’t afford anymore sidetracks.”
“What’s with you?” Sapph said incredulously. “You don’t really believe this bull, do you?”
“Whether true or not, I’ve got to go, Sapph,” Nora interrupted. “I can’t take the chance of it being true. I can’t.”
Sapph stared hard at Nora for another minute or so before exhaling heavily.
“Well, if you say so,” Sapph said uncertainly. “I personally don’t trust your brother… no offense, big guy… but if this is something you wanna do…”
“It is,” Nora said determinedly. “I wish I could stay longer too, but I have to go see her, Sapph. I have to.”
“OK,” Sapph said heavily. “Let me know if you need anything, OK?”
“I will,” Nora said softly. “Thanks for everything, Sapph… Haley,” she said looking at them both in turn.
“Galante, are you up for another Teleport?” Nora asked her Kirlia, who had hovered up to her eye level and nodded.
“Well,” Haley said heavily. “See you around, Nora.”
“Say hi to Grandma Rose for us,” Sapph added with a last suspicious glance at Reg’s otherwise inscrutable face.
“OK… bye!” Nora said tearfully, and with a flash of white light, Nora, Reg and Galante vanished into thin air.
“Well, we’d better hit the road again,” Haley said spiritedly, turning around and setting off with a new spring in her step.
With one last glance at where Nora stood a few seconds ago, Sapph said “Yeah. Whatever,” and followed his travel mate down the mountain road on the other side of the mountain that lead to their next destination.
CHARACTER PERSONALITY FOR THE WEEK
Name: Reginald “Reggie” Saunders
Age: 13
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: April 12th, PA 2002
Eye Colour: Black
Hair Colour: Black
Theme: Jumpin’ Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones
Current Teammates: Tenebrus (Mightyena), Quito (Quitonja), Murkrow
Pokémon at the Yew Observatory: None
Background: If anyone wanted to describe Reg, the words sneaky, duplicitous and arrogant would come to mind. Raised as a pampered little prince, Reg believes he raised himself to streetwise perfection on his own and has come to gain the admiration of local gangster wannabes. An image tarnished by his last two defeats at the Gatonda Tournament in his local Nightspark City, the second of which was at the hands of Sapph Manson. Reginald’s reasons for entering the tournament are thus far unknown, as this tenacious teen has a passion for one thing and one thing only in life: Dark type Pokémon and the power he could wield with them.
OK, now to wrap this all up with a Corei-Dex en-ta-ree:
225 Molumo
Type: Ground/Fighting
Species: Sumo Mole
Pronunciation: MOE-loo-MOE
Height: 4’08”
Weight: 229kgs
Habitat: Mountain
Evolution Line: Does not evolve
Name Derivation: MOLe + sUMO
Notes: Molumo tear through all opposition with its tremendous weight and vicious attack force, which none but the most powerful of defences can withstand. It can lift a weight equivalent to ten adult humans with one arm alone.
OK, that's it. As a sign off anouncement, keep your eyes peeled for my first one-shot, coming soon!
L@er!
*continued from last post*
Hiyori stared unblinkingly at Sapph for a few minutes during which Molumo regarded like a man who’d taken leave of his senses and Nora regained some self control.
“Nora, dear… would you be so kind as to go check on your friend?” Hiyori said sweetly to the young girl.
“Oh… um, alright,” She said in a small voice, staggering to her feet and tottering up the stairs towards the bedroom.
Hiyori waited until Nora had left the room before she went on. “Molumo, please bring out the artifacts that’ll prove our story to Mr. Sapphire.”
<Ja. But of course, Frau Hiyori,> Molumo consented before lumbering into the next room.
Sapph and Frau Hiyori sat apart from each other, the wizened old woman’s eyes boring into Sapph’s innermost being.
“I won’t let you drag Nora into this, alright?” Sapph hissed. “All she wants… all we want… is to have a Pokémon journey without having to look over our shoulders in fear.”
“I’m sorry, Sapphire,” Frau Hiyori said softly but firmly, “but, Nora was dragged into Team Shadow’s sights from her birth. The only reason they haven’t targeted her yet is that she hasn’t flaunted the power of the Essences so recklessly.”
“That’s still no reason to tell her all this!” Sapph reprimanded in a furious whisper. “What if you scar her mentally? Don’t you know how responsible for the problems of the world you could have made her feel?”
“Nora is wiser than that,” Hiyori replied, this time with a bite of impatience in her voice. “She is wiser… and far stronger than you believe, regardless of what her father and brother put her through.”
“But…”
“Enough!” Hiyori snapped with violent force in her voice which silenced Sapph instantly.
Taking a deep ragged breath, Hiyori began to speak once again. “Listen to me, Sapphire. As an Elemens of Courage, I’m sure potential enemies have already targeted you for your abilities, no matter how latent they were to you then. The fact remains that they are no longer as obscure anymore. Also, your courage is what has pulled you through not one; not two, but three Team Shadow attacks!”
Sapph only ground his teeth in anger, the old woman’s logic defeating any argument he could pose.
“And as an Elemens of Wisdom…” She went on, only to be disturbed by a jarringly different yet not unfamiliar voice to Sapph.
“’Elemens of Courage’! How’dja like ‘em apples, Vulca?”
“No men equals uninteresting. This is only so boring,” Captain Vulca exclaimed without enthusiasm. “Let’s just dispose of the boy and the hag already.”
“Zula! Vulca! Not you guys again!” Sapph vehemently exclaimed. “How’d you escape the Javelin?”
“Escape pod, anyone?” Zula crowed in laughter.
Zula then did a double take and turned red in rage at the disrespect they had been shown. “Hey, that’s Captains Zula and Vulca!” Zula exclaimed angrily, unleashing her vicious Roserade into the fray with a blast of white light.
“Please address us properly, shoreh,” Vulca said softly, releasing an evil looking Doberman with an arrowhead-ended tail and a vicious red muzzle. What looked like its ribs stood out clearly across its midnight black back. Flames licked the corers of its mid-length snout as it cut loose with a low, rumbling growl.
“Oi, old bag! You mentioned an Elemens of Wisdom nearby,” Zula crowed at Hiyori as Sapph fingered a pokéball, ready to battle. “Where is the little odd breed? C’mon,” she crooned, leering at Sapph. “You know how nice we can be…”
“Forget it, you microscopic pygmy!” Sapph declared. “No way are we telling you and your emotionless zombie of a partner anything!”
“Did… you… say… PYGMY?!” Zula shrieked, her cocky demeanor lost in a flash. “You *******! You’re so dead! Roserade, Poison Jab!”
Thorny whips whipped out of the roses that made up the Bouquet Pokémon’s hands and whipped around at Sapph and Hiyori viciously as Roserade leapt in to attack, taking the duo by surprise and rendering Sapph too slow in releasing a Pokémon. Four feet away, however, Roserade was sent flying from impacting with Molumo’s Mega Punch attack.
Molumo stood before his trainer and Sapph, with a small cloth-wrapped package tucked under his right arm, ready to battle.
Regaining his wits, Sapph pulled a different pokéball off his belt and said, “Thanks for the save, Hiyori-baachan. Leave the rest to m-“
“Sapph, grab Nora and Haley and run for it!” Hiyori hissed, as Molumo thrust the package into his arms and shoved his bodily up the stairs. “Go, now! They mustn’t get that parcel! Or either of you!”
“No way!” Sapph cried out in indignation.
“Do it!” Hiyori bellowed, as Molumo fended off a Fire Fang assault from Houndoom and without an order, ripped half the staircase apart with an Arm Thrust attack. “Neither the Shadow nor the Light must obtain that parcel!”
A loud BANG rang through the chalet at this proclamation, and Molumo fell to the floor, a dark red fluid trailing from an obviously fresh wound administered to the side of its squat head.
Sapph eyes dilated in shock as two new fighters entered the fray, wearing long white shirts and trousers. An elaborately-worked ‘L’ was embroidered onto the left hand side of their chest and both carried automatics, the one in the hand of the goon on the left smoking slightly.
Their eyes shrouded with black Ray-bans and their identically blond hair slicked back in identical fashion, the shooter looked down at the now deceased Sumo Mole Pokémon and muttered, “Abomination.”
“We are of the Light,” the other one announced openly. Raising his weapon towards the shorter of the two Team Shadow administrators, he went on. “Devils of the Shadow, we send you back to hell, together with all who swear allegiance to the abominations known as Pokémon!”
“Oh, yeah?” Zula crowed in a challenging voice. “You and whose army, Angel Boy?”
“Men,” Vulca said lackadaisically, although with a seductively hungry look in her eye. “Finally. I was bored.”
Sapph was on his butt for a split second as the shock of Molumo’s passing, before his desire to protect Haley and Nora exceeded his desire to play the hero against firearms. Scuttling up the half demolished stairway as gunshots and Pokémon cries rang out. A split second later, Sapph smelt wood burning.
Panicked, he burst into the room where Haley had been resting to find Nora and Haley there, the latter sitting up on the bed and alert, with her shirt totally unbuttoned, revealing her light blue undergarment.
“SAPPHIRE MANSON, are you INSANE?!” Haley roared, flushing furiously as she snatched up the covers.
Another gunshot rang out and as the girls squealed a scream rent the air. Sapph needed no second guess as to what had happened downstairs. Nor had he any time to be awkward about the situation he’d presently landed himself in.
“Katrina, catch!” Sapph yelled on the spur of the moment, afraid that using her first name would jeopardize her safety. As the din that had followed him into the room built up in volume, he tossed her bag to her. Nora caught it bewildered as Sapph roughly forced the package into his own bag. Slinging his and Haley’s knapsacks over his shoulder, he ran to the window and slid it open, the prevailing winds blowing noxious smoke into the room.
Coughing, Nora gasped, “Sapph, what’s going…?”
“No time! We’ve gotta get outta here!” Sapph ordered swiftly. “Out the window and into the woods, now! And whatever you do, stay out of sight of the windows!”
Nora hesitated for a minute or so as the noises grew louder. Apparently, the boys in white had backup…
Then as the flames from the lower storey reached through the floor of the bedroom and began to consume the room, Nora shrieked as she and Sapph were separated from Haley by a wall of fire.
“Katrina… GO!” Sapph bellowed, shoving Nora to the window and leaping through the wall of flames with his cloak shrouded around his body.
Nora’s eyes watered as the heat forced her back towards the window, the smoke burning her eyes painfully.
“Sapph? SAPPH!” She screamed in worry before he came bounding back into view, Haley once more in a bridal fashion lift as Sapph’s cloak fluttered around her and its owner, her top still undone, and her eyes fearful.
“C’mon! Go, go, GO!” Sapph yelled, helping Nora out the window and down the drain pipe first.
As Haley made to follow, the door exploded off its hinges and Zula and Vulca stood framed in the doorway, the former’s eyes locked on Sapph’s with venomous fury. Sapph stared back as Vulca’s Houndoom flitted into the room, wrapping its bony form around its mistress’s ankles, knowing that the stare meant that they’d not seen the last of each other.
A flash of white light appeared beside Sapph and Haley as Galante appeared in a teleportation flash. Grabbing Sapph’s leg, he cried out, <Sir Sapph!> and with a flash of white, they were gone, leaving the two fuming Captains to stare, incensed that their prey had escaped yet again.
***
“That was way too close,” Sapph muttered worriedly. Looking around at Nora and Galante, he said aloud, “Thanks for the assist back there, Nora. You and Galante saved us.”
Nora smiled back shakily and replied, “Hey, you don’t have to be brave by yourself, Sapph. We’re here for you.”
Sapph nodded, inwardly marveling her strength to keep smiling at a time like this after they narrowly escaped death.
“Sapph?”
“Mm-hmm?”
“Remember when we were back in the bedroom?” Nora asked nervously.
“Yeah…” Sapph said slowly, the sight that had met him as he came in when analyzed in retrospect would probably stay with him for many a day.
“Why did you call me Katrina?”
“Well, you know…” Sapph began calmly, staring at the roots at his feet before staring up into the inky blue-black sky strewn with stars. “If I called you Nora, they might be able to trace who you are and attack your family. I was looking out for you is all, Nora. I care, after all.”
“What about your family?” Nora said in worry.
Sapph laughed as he crossed his arms and leaned against the old dogwood tree’s trunk. “I wouldn’t worry about a family composed of two top-notch dojo owners and a feisty nine-year old who has my old Mogshex in her possession if I were you. They can all look after themselves just fine.”
“Thank you, Sapph.” Nora mumbled, who for some reason was still a little pink in the face.
“Hunh? What for?”
“For caring,” Nora said softly, still pink in the face. “Were you always this noble?”
“Well,” Sapph said, blushing a bit himself now. “I wouldn’t know about noble, exactly. Guess I have a helping-people thing going on. It’s rather annoying at times. Not to mention totally uncool…”
“Well, I’m glad you still have it,” Nora said softly, smiling brightly at Sapph. “If you didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”
Mentally, she added, That’s the side of you I love the most.
Sapph smiled back for a few seconds before an outraged yell rent the air, followed by a heavy, smacking sound and a muffled grunt of pain.
Sapph and Nora wheeled around as Haley reappeared from behind a clump of trees wearing a fresh shirt and dragging a dark haired youth of what seemed to be about thirteen years of age dressed all in black.
As they moved closer to get a better look, they gasped in unison, Nora in recognition of the boy whom Haley had knocked out cold.
“Sapph… it’s Reg!”
After Reg had been rescued from Haley’s clutches and revived, Reg stood before the trio of preteens, holding a cool wet handkerchief to his swelling right eye.
“Nice to see you guys,” Reg said sardonically. “Especially you, kid.”
“Whatever, Reg,” Sapph said coldly, his arms crossed and brow furrowed.
“And Little Miss Redhead… Nice body. Work out much?” Reg added, leering at Haley, who went bright red and rubbed her knuckles menacingly.
“I wouldn’t provoke Haley if I were you,” Sapph said airily, cutting Haley off.
“What brings you all the way out here, brother?” Nora asked nervously. “Is something wrong?”
“Yeah, something’s wrong,” Reg said toughly. “Grandma Rose’s dying. She wants to see you a.s.a.p. Got some stuff for you.”
“Yeah, right, Reg.” Sapph said sarcastically. “And I’m the Man in the Moon.”
“Hey, butt out, loser,” Reg snarled. “This is for family only. C’mon, Nora… we gotta go home.”
“Fine… we’ll go too…” Sapph began before Haley cut in.
“I think it’ll be better if we split up, Sapph,” she said quickly. “The league finals are only a few weeks away and you have three gyms left to challenge. You really can’t afford anymore sidetracks.”
“What’s with you?” Sapph said incredulously. “You don’t really believe this bull, do you?”
“Whether true or not, I’ve got to go, Sapph,” Nora interrupted. “I can’t take the chance of it being true. I can’t.”
Sapph stared hard at Nora for another minute or so before exhaling heavily.
“Well, if you say so,” Sapph said uncertainly. “I personally don’t trust your brother… no offense, big guy… but if this is something you wanna do…”
“It is,” Nora said determinedly. “I wish I could stay longer too, but I have to go see her, Sapph. I have to.”
“OK,” Sapph said heavily. “Let me know if you need anything, OK?”
“I will,” Nora said softly. “Thanks for everything, Sapph… Haley,” she said looking at them both in turn.
“Galante, are you up for another Teleport?” Nora asked her Kirlia, who had hovered up to her eye level and nodded.
“Well,” Haley said heavily. “See you around, Nora.”
“Say hi to Grandma Rose for us,” Sapph added with a last suspicious glance at Reg’s otherwise inscrutable face.
“OK… bye!” Nora said tearfully, and with a flash of white light, Nora, Reg and Galante vanished into thin air.
“Well, we’d better hit the road again,” Haley said spiritedly, turning around and setting off with a new spring in her step.
With one last glance at where Nora stood a few seconds ago, Sapph said “Yeah. Whatever,” and followed his travel mate down the mountain road on the other side of the mountain that lead to their next destination.
***
CHARACTER PERSONALITY FOR THE WEEK
Name: Reginald “Reggie” Saunders
Age: 13
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: April 12th, PA 2002
Eye Colour: Black
Hair Colour: Black
Theme: Jumpin’ Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones
Current Teammates: Tenebrus (Mightyena), Quito (Quitonja), Murkrow
Pokémon at the Yew Observatory: None
Background: If anyone wanted to describe Reg, the words sneaky, duplicitous and arrogant would come to mind. Raised as a pampered little prince, Reg believes he raised himself to streetwise perfection on his own and has come to gain the admiration of local gangster wannabes. An image tarnished by his last two defeats at the Gatonda Tournament in his local Nightspark City, the second of which was at the hands of Sapph Manson. Reginald’s reasons for entering the tournament are thus far unknown, as this tenacious teen has a passion for one thing and one thing only in life: Dark type Pokémon and the power he could wield with them.
OK, now to wrap this all up with a Corei-Dex en-ta-ree:
225 Molumo
Type: Ground/Fighting
Species: Sumo Mole
Pronunciation: MOE-loo-MOE
Height: 4’08”
Weight: 229kgs
Habitat: Mountain
Evolution Line: Does not evolve
Name Derivation: MOLe + sUMO
Notes: Molumo tear through all opposition with its tremendous weight and vicious attack force, which none but the most powerful of defences can withstand. It can lift a weight equivalent to ten adult humans with one arm alone.
OK, that's it. As a sign off anouncement, keep your eyes peeled for my first one-shot, coming soon!
L@er!
Last edited:
SamuraiDragon1
Ommm
This chapter was really cool. I loved the legend.
When I imagined molumo I bassicly thought of hariyama with claws.
Haley...Jealous much?
I get the feeling something funny is going on with Reg.
Is the one-shot going to go with Corei Quest or is it on it's own?
Anyway can't wait for the next chapter.
When I imagined molumo I bassicly thought of hariyama with claws.
Haley...Jealous much?
I get the feeling something funny is going on with Reg.
Is the one-shot going to go with Corei Quest or is it on it's own?
Anyway can't wait for the next chapter.
Last edited:
DarkPersian479
Well-Known Member
Due to me being on limited internet access, I'll skip the whole grammar nitpicking thing. I spotted a few in passing, but nothing drastic.
Hmmm... what to say... Well, first I'd like to say that fics involving special powers based on ancient legends - I've seen too many turn into train wrecks. However, at least with Sapph, his powers are evident through the Pokemon themselves (them using unusual moves or having abnormal power spikes) instead of him being able to fire off energy rays. As long as the storyline remains fairly close to the journey plot and the supernatural aspects don't dominate, I should be fine with it.
Minor griping about my preferred fic genres aside, Hiyori's explanation of the Elemens and Mages did read a bit like a lecture. Sometimes such "info-dumps" are necessary, as I really can't see any other way for Sapph to receive this knowledge, so it' obviously vital to keep the plot moving.
But now we have both organizations confronting each other. The Light in particular strikes me as taking an interesting stance - they're anti-Pokemon. And that mystery package is of interest too - wonder what's in it that's so vitally important...
Again, I apologize if this review isn't up to normal standards, but those are the breaks without regular internet... Anyway there were some... interesting... developments, and next time perhaps some questions will be answered, like the next move that Team Shadow and The Light will take, as well as the situation with grandma Rose - I have a feeling that her condition has something to do with what was revealed this chapter.
Hmmm... what to say... Well, first I'd like to say that fics involving special powers based on ancient legends - I've seen too many turn into train wrecks. However, at least with Sapph, his powers are evident through the Pokemon themselves (them using unusual moves or having abnormal power spikes) instead of him being able to fire off energy rays. As long as the storyline remains fairly close to the journey plot and the supernatural aspects don't dominate, I should be fine with it.
Minor griping about my preferred fic genres aside, Hiyori's explanation of the Elemens and Mages did read a bit like a lecture. Sometimes such "info-dumps" are necessary, as I really can't see any other way for Sapph to receive this knowledge, so it' obviously vital to keep the plot moving.
But now we have both organizations confronting each other. The Light in particular strikes me as taking an interesting stance - they're anti-Pokemon. And that mystery package is of interest too - wonder what's in it that's so vitally important...
Again, I apologize if this review isn't up to normal standards, but those are the breaks without regular internet... Anyway there were some... interesting... developments, and next time perhaps some questions will be answered, like the next move that Team Shadow and The Light will take, as well as the situation with grandma Rose - I have a feeling that her condition has something to do with what was revealed this chapter.
Matt Silver
Rest My Chemistry
Aww... so much SapphxHaley shipping.
Anyways, sorry for not reviewing until now... but... here I am. Great job - this chapter was pretty kick ***, not to mention the fact the plot is getting more intense (Extra kick ***), Sapph is becoming more herolike (kick *** x3), and the bad guys are really cool (Kick *** x4 - the Light guys are really just awesome).
Anyways, always fun to read your work, so keep it up. I'm looking forward to the next chapter as always. Later.
Anyways, sorry for not reviewing until now... but... here I am. Great job - this chapter was pretty kick ***, not to mention the fact the plot is getting more intense (Extra kick ***), Sapph is becoming more herolike (kick *** x3), and the bad guys are really cool (Kick *** x4 - the Light guys are really just awesome).
Anyways, always fun to read your work, so keep it up. I'm looking forward to the next chapter as always. Later.