Chapter 25.5: The Pokemon Convention!
(The same night)
“Goodnight guys. Sleep well,” John whispered. He snuggled into his comfy white sleeping bag. It's lining was made of Mareep wool and therefore was very comfortable.
He smiled and looked out at his surroundings. All of his Pokemon were huddled around each other for warmth. Mike’s and Lindsey’s Pokemon were also thrown in the mix, like one big happy family. The air was thick and heavy in the medium sized tent, and was decently warm. Espeon knew from experience that would change.
When the dark of night had finally fallen, the stirring Pokemon slowly crawled their way out of the tents and towards the fire.
All of the Pokemon began to congregate around the dead fire. Espeon stepped forward into the light, taking center stage.
Many of the Pokemon, namely Prinplup and Magmar were barely awake, rubbing dark bags under their eyes. A melancholy mood setting in on both. Magmar seemed so tired, it was leaning on Prinplup for support, its' eyes blinking rapidly.
<Hey, get up!> Prinplup squawked, startled.
<I’m tired, give me a break> Magmar shouted, attempting to lower its' head again.
<I said knock it off!> Prinplup yelled again. He scooted over a bit, slamming Magmars' head onto the log.
<What the hell was that!?!> Magmar shouted again, the flames on its' head intensifying.
<HEY!!!!!> An ominous female voice pounded from the front of the fire pit. Espeon stood there, the red orb between its' eyes glowing violently. She had a withering look of disapproval plastered on her face.
<Stop it guys!> she began. <We have a lot of business to attend to. First off, Combusken, make a fire please,>
<Fine,> agreed the young fowl Pokemon reluctantly. He jumped off the log and opening its' beak, releasing a red hot streak of flames.
The collection of burnt out logs and cinders came to life in an array of flames. Sparks accompanied the crackling and the flames cascaded from the logs, rising into the sky.
As the logs crackled and fell on top of each other, more sparks sprung forth, dancing around the sky and stars.
Phanpy looked up. The night was sensationally dark and was illuminated by the billions of stars in the sky. They were all different, glittering, twinkling. Each beautiful in its' own way. A particularly concentrated bunch of stars painted the middle of the sky in one of the most beautiful scenes the long nose Pokemon had ever seen.
She looked up, mesmerized by the painting that nature had presented them.
<That’s the Milky Way, Phanpy. Isn’t it beautiful?> A voice purred from behind her. She turned around to see the compassionate face of the Sun Pokemon.
Phanpy looked up again, mesmerized by the stars. <They are beautiful,> she breathed, still fixated on the sky. <Why are some of them bigger?>
Espeon purred happily and patted her on the nose delicately. The feeling of her fur was like velvet. It was strangely relaxing.
<That, my little Pokemon, is a story for another day.> she purred. With that, she walked back to her position in front of the group.
A chilly breeze whisked across the flats of the island, sending goose bumps rocketing down Phanpy’s back. The air was crisp and autumn-like, making for a picturesque moment. Everything seemed so romantic, and nostalgia was ever so prevalent in the space around them.
<Alright, guys, I’m tired, so lets get this over with,> Espeon suggested. A chorus of agreement rose from the Pokemon.
<Welcome to the First Pokemon Convention. I called this mainly to introduce the two new Pokemon we have in our group: Phanpy and Prinplup.> she introduced, motioning for both to stand up.
Prinplup jumped up and took a few bows. A few mercy claps rang out in the night air.
Phanpy, however, was hesitant. She shyly and skittishly stood up. <Hi, everyone,> she stammered.
She sat back down, re-engrossing herself in the stars.
<We have two main orders of business here,> began Espeon, embellishing a serious note on the conversation.
<Firstly is Harken. I’m sure all of you know by now that Harken has been injured. I have sensed him, and he is barely clinging to life. I have informed John, and hopefully we will visit him tomorrow.> she explained. The many Pokemon looked at each other, astonished at this news.
<Who’s Harken?> Phanpy whispered to Staravia. The young starling Pokemon was sitting next to her.
<He’s John’s friend and Lindsey’s rival….shh!> whispered the Pokemon back, attempting to be polite to both Espeon and Phanpy.
Phanpy didn’t hear her though, for the baby Pokemon was focused on the little protrusion on it’s head. It bobbled up and down as the bird spoke, which amused her.
<Are you staring at my head? What the hell is wrong with you?> she yelled, obviously offended.
<Ahem!> Espeon shouted at the pair, annoyed. Phanpy’s cheeks became beat red and she seemed to shrink a little as if she just wanted to disappear. It was the first time she was ever embarrassed.
<As I was saying,> Espeon began, shooting a disappointed look at Staravia. It was piercing, scary even.
<Let us all say a prayer out to Lord Arceus for Harken, Selphy, and for the war, which is our second area of interest.> she ordered, bowing her head and motioning for the others to do the same. All the Pokemon bowed, their heads coming dangerously close to the fire.
<Lord Arceus, creator of the Earth and Pokemon of our God, we pray to you. Harken, just a mere boy, has been horribly injured in a battle to conserve our freedom. He has not lived life yet. Arceus please protect him, nurture him, heal him. We pray that Selphy has recovered from her horrible encounter. Please keep that horrid Mismagius away from her.> Espeon began to stammer and paused for a brief moment to regain her composure.
<We pray that this evil war ends before we are involved in it. And if it is your will to involve us in it, keep us, and our friends safe. Please guide us and help us make the right decisions for ourselves, our family, and our country.> she finished.
<Amen.> Spearow cawed, leading a chorus of “Amen” from the others.
A long, silent pause took hold of the group. They simply did not know what to say. Phanpy found comfort in the stars again. She stared upwards, stuck on a small glow that began to expand in the sky. It glowed a bright, piercing yellow. It was almost like the sun, and immediately the sky became brighter.
A cold wind began to whip around them, picking up speed until it resembled a Gust attack. The winds began swirling around, causing the fire to dance violently, then completely suppressed the fire. The warmth of their very blood seemed to have been stolen, as the light in the sky became unbearably bright.
The stars were consumed by the light, as was the entire sky. The Pokemon were blinded, unable to see each other, or what was going on.
Suddenly there was a calming presence with them, a feeling that they had been listened too.
A faint sound of soothing bells chimed in the distance and for the first time in her young life, Phanpy felt at peace and totally secure.
A faint but powerful whisper rung in the air. <I will help you,>
Just as suddenly as the engulfing light had occurred, it began to recede, slowly revealing the astonished Pokemon. As mere seconds chipped away, the light receded in great bounds, enough now so that the stars became faint.
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A few minutes later the group, still silent, was sitting around a newly put up fire, under the canopy of bright stars, just like before.
The light had receded to just a small yellow star in the sky, seemingly a few inches away from being consumed by the vast Milky Way. It was in the exact center of the sky, and to the untrained eye, it would be just another star. This one, however, was anything but normal.
<What was that?> Phanpy finally asked after about ten minutes of silence.
Espeon pondered the question for a minute. <I think….I think that was our answer. I think that was…Arceus,>
Out of all of them, Chatot seemed to be the most astonished. Until now, Chatot did not get much attention from the group, but his reaction was unparalleled.
His beak was wide open, straining his face. His eyes were opened up huge, like anime eyes and the music note on his head shot up directly straight.
When the shock finally wore off, the poor bird attempted to speak.
<You can’t be serious. Why would He bother with us?> he squeaked.
<He is….I dunno.> Espeon tried to explain, but she was at a loss for words and attempted to change the subject.
<I believe we have another topic to discuss. This war. We need to talk about emergency procedures and what to do in tense situations. We barely made it out of the Wake Crisis and were almost captured by Cyrus. We need to make a plan on how to get out of these situations,> Espeon paused, looking at the other Pokemon.
<Ahh, Es? It’s late, we need to get to bed.> Wingull complained, wiping its' eyes in an attempt to stay awake.
<Alright. Go to bed everyone. We will discuss this later,> said Espeon. She walked away towards the Ruby Tent.
One by one, without commotion, the group trickled away and back into the tents. Prinplup doused the fire with a mighty water gun, causing an enormous column of steam to cascade upward into the sky.
When everyone had finally left, Phanpy waddled up off the log that she had been perched on for the past few hours.
A wave of pleasant nostalgia consumed the Pokemon as her thoughts began dwelling on the events of that night while her eyes lost in the beautiful sky. She was but a day old and had already gone through so much.
<I’ve lived but a day, and I’ve already met the Lord, and I’m involved in a war? Just what is war? Why is everyone somber and upset? Who is this Harken?> she asked, getting more and more confused by the second.
<All answers will come in time.> A feminine voice scared her. It was Espeon, who had come up behind her.
<Come on, lets go to bed. I’ll explain in the morning,> said Espeon comfortingly, steering Phanpy away from the log.
<I am tired…> Phanpy yawned, her eyes beginning to close. She couldn’t wait to get into bed and snuggle with John. All these problems, all the hardship, would be but a distant memory. Sleep, dreams, they were happening now.
As they made their way into the tent, the wind ruffled the tent, causing a light banging noise.
Phanpy was just climbing into bed when she saw Espeon staring off into the distance.
The psychic pokemon's pupils dilated and focused on the top of the tent. The orb on her head began to glow violently, illuminating the entire tent. It’s inhabitants were bathed in a red hue, which was oddly tranquil.
<Lorelei,> The psychic Pokemon began repeating.
<Articuno….Moltres…..all we need is Zapdos….Lorelei...> She seemed to come to an amazing realization.
The pink Pokemon snapped out of it and almost immediately climbed into bed with John and Phanpy.
<Who’s Lorelei?> Phanpy asked, yawning widely.
<Go to sleep.> was the last words she heard, before drifting off into the sweet confines of peace.
To be continued….
Authors Notes: Yes, I know what your thinking. No it was not rushed, no it is not short. This is the length of a special, especially a pokemon’s perspective. So, be brutal, I tried to slow down and work on description this time. I hope it paid off!
duncan is the best for betaing this! Thank you so much!
