The Visions

[Don't care about you]

I wanted to try this…this is my first time and I’m only twelve for Pete’s sake, so don’t go too harsh, I only know so much…anyways, here we go…

The Visions​

Chapter 1: Dreams of Darkness

Darkness…is it pure evil? Or do humans not understand? The young girl had constantly asked this question, but never did she receive any answer. The question drove her mad. She had always wondered before, before it happened that is...

It was a cold, black morning. Her father sipped his usual cup of coffee. He had dirty-blonde hair and was wearing a tan coat. He had gray-rimmed glasses in front of his blue eyes and a short gray beard around his chin. He worked as a teacher at the local college.

Her mother was dressed in a red dress with floral prints. She had green eyes and dark brown hair that she kept braided in a ponytail and wore a white apron over her dress as she slaved over the stove making breakfast for her three kids.

One was a boy with blonde hair with a button-up blue dress shirt; he had blue eyes like his father. The other two were both girls, one was a girl that would soon suffer the pain of asking the question of darkness and evil. She had mahogany-brown hair that hung down to her shoulders, a blue shirt and red skirt. She had green eyes that she had inherited from her mother. The other was her baby dirty-blonde sister; this sister wore a green mini skirt with blue polka dots, she was only 2 years old. She had another brother, but he had graduated from college and had moved out. She never thought she’d see him again…

Her father had taken her to the park in Rustburro City, a bustling city in the region of Hoenn. She was playing with her ball when it rolled off into the bushes. She went over to grab it while holding her father’s hand. She was 5, but she was afraid to go anywhere out of her father’s sight.

She pulled her father into the bushes where she saw a figure lying next to a tree. The shadowy figure had dark brown hair that flowed from under a black cap. This character wore a black suit bearing the symbol of a menacing bloody red “R”. She had never seen it before, but her father had. He had encountered characters like this before, the infamous members of Team Rocket. They were Pokemon thieves that thought up numerous fiendish plots. People described them as evil, but they referred to themselves as dark people. The man lifted his head as stared the girl and her father with solemn blue eyes.

“Da…dad?” the Rocket was confused as he saw the stern face of his father.

“Hiro? What are you doing here? What’s with the outfit…wait a minute, you’re not a member of those Team Rocket thugs are you? Answer me boy!” Mr. Hiroshi, the girl’s father, held tightly to his son, demanding an answer.

“Get off of me! I joined the Rockets because they care about me, unlike you! You only cared about my grades so you’d look good, but you never cared about me!” the boy pushed his father away from him and pulled out a knife he had concealed in his hand. The poor young girl didn’t understand what was happening as she watched in fear as her brother struck a fatal blow; he drove the small blade into his father’s chest. The girl’s father coughed as he fell to the ground. His breathing had stopped and her brother now turned towards her and she feared the worst. But her brother looked at her with pity in his eyes and let her live. He knocked her out instead of her really hurting her. When she woke up, she had no clue where she was. Her brother must have dragged her out into the Rustburro Woods.

"Is my brother evil? Know, he's only dark, but isn't that the same?

That was when the question began to run through her mind, but she turned her mind to other matters as she looked at her surroundings.

She was lost in the forest; she had absolutely no clue. Her green eyes scanned the woods around her, but she could see nothing but trees. It wasn’t like an average forest; it wasn’t bright, peaceful, and tranquil. It was dark, mysterious, and frightening. She couldn’t stand it. She hated being in this place, but her legs wouldn’t move. She was paralyzed with fear.

Then, she heard rustling among the bushes and out stepped a creature so majestic. It had blue fur that was adorned with white diamond patterns. Its face was solemn and unmoved as it stared at her with blue eyes. Its lower jaw was white and the top of its head was blue. On its forehead rested a giant crest. It was blue and shined as the sun shines upon the waters. It had a purple cloud that rested upon its back and had a rather short tail, but nonetheless still showed majesty and mystery at the same time.

“Crystal dear, come closer.” The magnificent beast was beckoning to the little girl.

“Who…who are you.” the small child was frightened at the sight of the creature and was also stunned that the beast knew her name.

“I am Suicune, messenger of the mighty Ho-oh. I’ve been sent to bring you to the great one, he needs you…” then Crystal noticed the little blue bell around the Suicune’s neck that matched the one that hung from her own neck.

“Where did you get that bell?” she asked.

“This charm was given to me when I became a part of the Spirit World. There are only two bells, one that belongs to a Pokemon; the other belongs to a human. The bells connect the two possessors’ spirits.” Suicune explained.

“So that means…” Crystal pondered the thought as she tightly held the bell around her neck.

“This isn’t the time to talk, I need to take you to the tower. Hop on my back.” Crystal climbed up Suicune’s back and cushioned herself upon the violet cloud that rested on the Suicune’s back.

The Suicune rode onward and out of the thick of the forest. Then by some sort of magic, Suicune was flying Crystal above the clouds. While she was blinking her eyes in disbelief, she noticed that they were landing. She saw a large tower reaching towards the clouds. Then, Crystal saw a large bird fly from the peak of the tower. It lit up the sky in a blaze. A rainbow flowed from the bird’s wings. It was red with a golden beak and noble red eyes. It had seven-colored feathers on its wings. Its feathers were colored like a rainbow. Crystal watched in awe of this magnificent bird.

“This is my master, the mighty and just Ho-oh.” Suicune explained.

“Crystal, I am the ruler of the sky. But I am not the only power; the other is the king of the sea. We used to coexist in harmony, but someone has broken the balance, the relationship of good and evil, of ying and yang. Please, Suicune is my messenger. He saw a vision of you. You need to help us, please…the beast is back!” Ho-oh exclaimed. Then Crystal saw it, a large beast of the seas, soaring overhead. It was cloaked by shadows, but Crystal could see its piercing red eyes.

“Suicune, take her to safety.” Without hesitation, Suicune followed orders and took Crystal to a safe haven. She watched in terror as Ho-oh fought as hard as he could against the dark beast. The beast launched a devastating blast from its mouth and set the tower ablaze in a massive inferno. Ho-oh was knocked to the ground. His feathers grew lighter as Ho-oh slowly vanished from Crystal’s sight.

“No…I guess Ho-oh will be ruling the Spirit World now…Crystal, let’s get away from here…” Suicune turned around only to see that she was gone.

Crystal was running for her life with the beast in hot pursuit. She kept running but she knew it would end soon. And as the fiend was about to strike the devastating blow, everything went black…

Crystal opened her eyes, only to find herself in her bed. The shadows of the room gave her a cold chill, but she was relieved to say that it was just a dream. Even though it was only a dream, this one was different. This was the third time she had this dream, and she was scared by these dreams. They seemed so real. Crystal looked at the bell around her neck. But unknown to her, her dreams were only the beginning…

I wanted it to be a prologue, but it ended up being a chapter, so there won’t be a prologue…anyways, I hope I get some replies…

 

[Confused no more]

not bad, nice chapter with the concept with the suicune and ho-oh and all. I like that you're shifting focus towards johto, the poor region gets barely any love...*sniff, cries a little...* overall, I'd say a 4/5, not bad...

 

[Don't care about you]

thanks for the review, chapter 2 should be up by tomorrow or the day after...

 

[Confused no more]

ok, I'll be waiting...

 

[Don't care about you]

will do...hope I get some other reviewers too...

 

[Don't care about you]

Behold! Chapter 2!

Here’s the 2nd chapter! Even though it’s a lame title, DEAL WITH IT!!!

Chapter 2: Brochures aren’t useless after all!

It was moving day for the Hiroshi family and everyone was getting ready. Crystal put on her red turtleneck sweater with the ruby decal on the chest along with her blue jeans.

Ever since her dad died 7 years ago, Crystal felt lonesome. Sure she had her mom and her sister, but she had such a great bond with her father, it just wasn’t the same. As for her brother, well, she could live without. The “immature brat” as she called him, would always do something to torture her. Whether it was filling her room with shaving cream, or replacing her make-up with assortments of condiments. Yes, Oscar was a mischievous little devil. For some reason though, adults were always fooled by his “charming” blonde-hair-blue-eyes combo. It made Crystal sick.

She watched as little Serenity ran around with her mother’s Poochyena along the green carpet. The little black and gray dog spun around in circles chasing its own tail. It tripped and collided with its master’s drawer and accidentally knocked over Mrs. Hiroshi’s clay flowerpot. The pollen from the flower irritated the little mutt’s pink nose. Its nose twitched and it let out a sneeze. Serenity watched and laughed at the pup’s crazy antics. Poochyena got up again and started biting on Serenity’s blue dress with the diamond patterns. Serenity tugged it away from the little dog’s fangs. The pale checkered walls were a horrible choice of wallpaper Crystal thought in her opinion.

Crystal sighed to herself. She realized that she was doing Serenity’s packing for her. But she continued to pack.

“Oh well, at least she’s enjoying herself.” She chuckled to herself. She now noticed that sweet little Serenity was tugging at her skirt.

“Big sis, why are we moving?” she asked with sincerity in her eyes.

“Well, you see Serenity, mom thinks that it’s too dangerous here in Hoenn. What with Team Aqua and Magma running around, who knows what could happen! Anyways, there’s a very low crime level in Johto, that’s where mom says were moving.” Crystal answered, but for some reason, she felt that the answer was insufficient. She had a strange feeling, like as if there was another reason they were moving there.

“Oh well.” She thought to herself.

“Crystal! Serenity! Robert! Hurry up! We’re going to miss our flight!” Mrs. Hiroshi called for her three children. She was frustrated. Underneath the homely wintergreen dress, lied a frustrated and depressed woman. Robert was busy doing whatever it is he does, while Crystal was still packing, and Serenity was combing her birch-wood brown hair. When they were done, they hustled downstairs as their mother continued to rush them. They all got inside their mother’s blue minivan as Mrs. Hiroshi put turned her key and started the engine. They drove from the outskirts of Rustburro City until they reached the Best Airlines of Rustburro’s Facilities or BARF.

“Barf? We’re taking a flight from a place called barf?” Robert giggled at the thought.

“It’s an acronym you idiot, man, I could smack you so hard sometimes…” Crystal was disgusted by her brother’s comment. Her brother responded by sticking his tongue out. Crystal was irritated by this taunt, but she easily eased her irritation by giving her brother a thump on the head.

“Oww…” Robert rubbed his head to try to soothe his pain.

“Quit it you two, you’ll wake up Serenity. How did I get these kids? Sometimes it’s just…oh look, we’re here. Ok, everyone out of the car, Crystal, can you hold on to Poochyena?” Mrs. Hiroshi opened the car door and let her kids out.

They walked onward to their departure gate and Crystal cradled her mother’s Poochyena. They walked down the aisles as they looked back and forth, trying to find their gate. But all they saw was endless blue carpet with the occasional soda spill or cookie crumbs. Along the walkway, there were several crowds of people waiting in their seats and droned due to the lack of excitement.

Boredom got the best of Robert. He ran off looking at the assortments of stores that outlined the aisle. There were numerous stores and restaurants that ranged from Macdonald’s to the Discovery Store. He didn’t really care about the stores; he wanted to have fun. Then he spotted a sight that he looked upon with awe: Jokes and Pranks Galore! The Ultimate Party Store!

He ran into the store and looked through all the gags and tried to find any good pranks to pull on Crystal. He was mischievous, but he just wanted to make Crystal laugh, this was just his way. He had never seen her laugh recently, so he wanted her to have fun. Sure, sometimes he pulled his share of practical jokes on her for his own gain, but other than that, he meant well.

“Where is he? When I get my hands on that spoiled brother of mine I’ll rip him to shreds!” Crystal was enraged. She didn’t even know why she was looking for Robert. Unknown to her, she actually did care about him.

“Now Crystal, that’s no way to talk.” Mrs. Hiroshi informed her daughter.

“Yeah, besides, I think I see him over there.” Serenity said as she pointed to a vaguely familiar figure. It was a boy with light golden hair, a checkered sweater, and tan cargo pants.

“Typical, browsing in the prank store. To think he wishes that every day was April Fool’s. Hey Robert! You dunce, you almost made us miss our flight!” Crystal yelled at her brother, but withheld her rage for later.

Robert, realizing his fault, joined back up with his family. They quickly strolled down the lane, trying to make it on time. They passed by a boy with spiky red, orange, and yellow hair. Crystal swore that that kid’s head was on fire. He wore a dark red blazer and red shorts. Just by looking at him you’d think that he was the Human Torch or something.

“Come on out Magmar!” he released from his hand a red and white sphere. The ball opened up releasing a duck-like creature with red and yellow flame-like decal. It seemed that with its release, the creature raised the room temperature up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Cool! Mom, I want a Pokemon like that!” Robert stared at the Magmar with awe, but he was dragged back into reality as Crystal started to drag him by his shirt collar.

They ran up to the counter to see if they made it. Crystal was talking with Serenity, but realized that she should watch Robert. She could trust Serenity, but she watched Robert like a hawk making sure he didn’t get into trouble. In the meantime, Mrs. Hiroshi checked with the man at the counter.

“Are we, huff, in time, huff, for the flight to Goldenrod?” Mrs. Hiroshi wheezed. She was exhausted from the running.

“Just in time.” The man said while looking at his watch. Mrs. Hiroshi pulled out their tickets and handed them to man. She didn’t see the man’s face because a magazine that covered his face hid it.

“Talk about being absorbed in your reading.” Crystal mumbled to herself.

They boarded the plane and got in their seats. The plane’s engine fired up and let out a loud roar and the plane flew off into the distance. Crystal’s mother approached Crystal’s seat.

“Here Crystal, it’s a brochure.” She handed her daughter a little pamphlet, but Crystal merely rolled her eyes.

“Brochures are totally useless…hey, what’s this…See Johto’s Famous Burnt Tower and other Landmarks!. This picture, it looks like…” Crystal touched the picture as she saw another vision.

She saw the Tower of Ho-oh’s Roost burn down in a blaze of crimson flames. She saw Ho-oh’s life force fading right before her eyes.

“No…don’t go…” Crystal couldn’t believe that it was over. She looked again, but the flares had been tamed. She looked at the remains of the tower with tears pouring from her eyes. Then she realized it.

“My vision matches the picture…I must go to this burnt tower…it’s the only way I can get over these visions…” Who would have guessed that a brochure would start this for Crystal? She looked out the window and saw that they were landing. She was relieved to be able to get out of her leather seat and soon be able to leave the bleak gray interior. She looked towards the setting sun as it painted the skies a pallet of colors.

It was the end for Ho-oh, but for Crystal, it was only the beginning…

Well that was chapter 2…chappy #3 should be around sometime around New Year’s…

 

[Confused no more]

Not bad. Can't wait to see what she gets as a Pokemon, or whatever it is you have planned...

 

[Don't care about you]

yeah, she'll get her first poke in a weird way...

 

[Confused no more]

yeah, she'll get her first poke in a weird way...

I see...sounds interesting, oh and by the way, I thought the part about "BARF" was hilarious!

 

[Don't care about you]

I see...sounds interesting, oh and by the way, I thought the part about "BARF" was hilarious!

Thanks, I did that for fun...and comedy.

 

[Saffire Persian]

I'll keep in mind what you said - so keep in mind this is only critique, that I hope you can glean something from it. ^_^ I'll be going through it as I read?

Darkness…is it pure evil? Or do humans not understand?

I liked the beginning here; however, the girl is human, yes? So why did you put "humans" considering the girl in human, the most appropriate word she'd use in this case is probably 'we'.

Her father sipped his usual cup of coffee. He had dirty-blonde hair and was wearing a tan coat. He had gray-rimmed glasses in front of his blue eyes and a short gray beard around his chin. He worked as a teacher at the local college.

The part that isn't bolded, I liked. It's always good to show a characters habits - even if it's just as plain as a cup of copy. Good character development, yes. Next, we move onto the discription, normally, you want to avoid the (what I'd like to call) 'string' description. Ex: He was short, had grey hair, wore black pants, and yellow-blue tennis shoes. That's stringy. Granted, it's FINE in some cases, but gradually introducing a character's appearance throughout the first chapter is nice, and you don't need to tell us everything. *taps head* Our imagination does a lot to help with that.

Also, you seem to be doing a flash back, but I find the tense you use odd for this situation. Considering this is a small flashback, I'd go with the 'past tense' I believe it's called 'past perfect' but don't quote me.

So, for example: "Her father had been sipping his usual cup of coffee"

It lends more to "This happened awhile ago" feel.

Her father had taken her to the park in Rustburro City, a bustling city

The Rustborro City, then 'City' right after it makes it sound repetitive. Try a synonym, like town.

in the region of Hoenn. She was playing with her ball when it rolled off into the bushes. She went over to grab it while holding her father’s hand. She was 5, but she was afraid to go anywhere out of her father’s sight.

“Hiro? What are you doing here? What’s with the outfit…wait a minute, you’re not a member of those Team Rocket thugs are you? Answer me boy!” Mr. Hiroshi, the girl’s father, held tightly to his son, demanding an answer.

We know that the person talking is the girl's father - and I think, he knowing what the rockets are, would know his son is a rocket, now. I doubt people would be masquerading them for fun.

the boy pushed his father away from him and pulled out a knife he had concealed in his hand. The poor young girl didn’t understand what was happening as she watched in fear as her brother struck a fatal blow; he drove the small blade into his father’s chest.

Firstly, I think the son would be a litttle more hesitant when striking his father, plus, I don't think he had been planning it. I can see it happening, but a chord just strikes me wrong here. No offense, of course.

"Is my brother evil? Know, he's only dark, but isn't that the same?

Interesting question.

“I am Suicune, messenger of the mighty Ho-oh. I’ve been sent to bring you to the great one, he needs you…” then Crystal noticed the little blue bell around the Suicune’s neck that matched the one that hung from her own neck.

Beware the usage of legendary beasts! For they are often frowned upon. She's young - she seems very young to me. I can see Suicune appearing and dissapearing because Suicune wants to protect her, but right now, I'd say Crystal is a bit too young to understand everything quite yet.

“This charm was given to me when I became a part of the Spirit World. There are only two bells, one that belongs to a Pokemon; the other belongs to a human. The bells connect the two possessors’ spirits.” Suicune explained.

Interesting theory. XD Personally, I'd be scared half out of my wits if Suicune came and talked to me, personally. Plus, if it weren't for the italics, I'd think that this was still in the Flashback.

“

Crystal opened her eyes, only to find herself in her bed. The shadows of the room gave her a cold chill, but she was relieved to say that it was just a dream. Even though it was only a dream, this one was different. This was the third time she had this dream, and she was scared by these dreams. They seemed so real. Crystal looked at the bell around her neck. But unknown to her, her dreams were only the beginning…

Only a dream? Hmm... I think you could've illustrated it a bit better, but still, you are quite a good writer for being only twelve. I think you're moving into the plot too fast, with the sudden appearance of Suicune and all. As I said, the usage of legendaries are iffy at best. I'm not saying you can't use them, but you want to be careful.

 

[billy5772]

I agree with Saffire Persian about the laundry-list ("string") description. You set the flashbeck up well with the "before it happened", but then instead of being a really sensational, event-focused flashback that, IMO, would've been most effective, you used a LOT of time describing things that aren't even immediately necessary to describe. And it's not even only about effect. People just don't remember things like that. Our moods, emotions, feelings, they all color our memories. So by nature a flashback of that magnitude would be extremely sensational, her mood of fright/anger/whatever being kinda the template for all the action.

Other than that, though; this was very entertaining. Before I knew that the Suicune thing was a dream, I was going to warn you to make sure you had a pretty good backstory for your main female character to be the possessor of this bell charm thing, as special as it is. I mean, I wouldn't entrust a little girl with a bell that connected the spirit of a human to that of a legendary pokemon. Something about her needs to make her possession of that bell necessary. Otherwise, I'd say, someone older ought to take it from her. If you plan on making the myth of the dream true, these are things you want to think about. Make sure the backstory is solid, is all.

I'm just a little unclear about the girl's age, too. Did she have a flashback right before she came to in the woods of Hoenn? She was 5 in the flashback (and when her father died), so that'd make her twelve in the second chapter, right? Already with the make-up? No age-limit on vanity, I guess. Acne?

The pale checkered walls were a horrible choice of wallpaper Crystal thought in her opinion.

"Crystal thought in her opinion" was kinda redundant because what Crystal thinks about something is her opinion. No need to really say it twice.

“Oh well, at least she’s enjoying herself.” She chuckled to herself.

I'm pointing this out because it's a mistake that can be repeated. When your quote is being modified or qualified by some immediately following description that isn't a full sentence on its own, you should put a comma after the quote. In this case:

"Oh well, at least she's enjoying herself," she chuckled to herself.

Another example:

"Yeah, that's what you think," Billy joked.

Or:

"I didn't make them do anything," said Michael Jackson.

She had a strange feeling, like as if

That's that redundancy again. like = as if.

“Are we, huff, in time, huff, for the flight to Goldenrod?” Mrs. Hiroshi wheezed.

You might want to replace the “huff” in there with “*huff*” or something. I really don’t know the correct way to do that. But as it is now, she’s actually saying “huff”.

She didn’t see the man’s face because a magazine that covered his face hid it.

Redundant. You could simplify that to “because a magazine covered it”

Yes! That part is over with. Truly an interesting beginning, this was, to what I'm sure will be an entertaining fic. Just make sure your backstory is solid if you do decide to have Crystal be "spirit buddies" with a legendary. Make it all feasible. Great job. Billy will be back for chapter 3!

 

[Don't care about you]

Sorry about the redundancey thing...oh well, I'll work on that, just glad you liked it. Yeah, I might use some chapters later on to give even more backstory.

Oh, and about the whole age-switch thing:
See, she was five during the flashback which led up to her dreams. Like the dream was a continuation of the flashback. She was five and dragged to the woods, her dream starts in the woods where she was dragged off to, that's when she first "meets" Suicune. See, Suicune tries to protect her because if either dies, well, the one that's left won't be there for long. Suicune helps protect her while she quests to find out about the whole "Darkness" thing...

She's twelve when she has the dream, but the dream is about when she was five...

Chap. 3 should be coming by Wednesday or Tuesday

 

[Don't care about you]

sorry, but I just wanted to let everyone know that my schedule has changed and I probably will be able to get Chapter 3 up and running by Thursday.

 

[Don't care about you]

Sorry for the triple-post, but my schedule has changed again, so chapter 3 should be up by tomorrow, that is, Tuesday.

 

[Don't care about you]

Chapter 3...finally!

Okay guys, chapter 3 is ready to rock! Sorry that I couldn’t get it up earlier, my schedule went under a lot of changes.

Chapter 3: That’s not a fish on my line!

“Crystal, can you take Serenity with you to the grocery store? Oh, and after that, you can go out with Serenity to the woods to pick some berries. They say that the berries in the Ilex Forest can cure a variety of illnesses. I still have no clue how Robert got sick, but none of his medication works. But maybe the berries can help him get better.” Mrs. Hiroshi requested. She was standing by Robert’s bed. She put her hand on the boy, her gaze was filled with great concern for her son as his fever continued to rise. Robert’s face looked flush, his cheeks were red and his forehead was piping hot. He groaned because of this illness. His body lay sprawled on the bed. He wore the same wintergreen checkered pajamas that he’s been wearing for the past week.

“Sure mom, come on Serenity, let’s go.” Crystal took her sister’s hand but not before taking one last look at her brother.

“Robert, please get well soon.” Crystal looked at Robert with pity in her eyes. She had to help somehow. He looked so innocent on that bed.

“I’ll try to help him…no, I will help him.” Crystal vowed that she’d help. Before leaving the house, Crystal took a rustic fishing hat from her room. It was her father’s hat, and it was all she had to remember her father by. It was a white brimmed hat with a pokeball symbol in front. Crystal had tied a pink ribbon around it to make it look nice. She put on the hat, and it looked nice with her short-sleeve blue blazer and red mini skirt. Serenity put on her turquoise jacket and slipped on her blue sneakers. They both set out for the grocery store.

“Man, that was some serious shopping! I thought mom only wanted us to go to the grocery store.” Crystal was beat. She couldn’t see how her sister could smile. She was carrying bags full of clothes.

“Well, I am a bit of a bargain hunter.” Serenity looked at her big sister and then at her bags. She didn’t realize how heavy the bags were.

“Oh wait! Mom wanted us to go pick some berries in the forest.” Crystal reminded Serenity that their errand wasn’t over.

They continued walking down the bustling avenues of Goldenrod. The two sisters were dragging their feet across the narrow dirt road outside the city limits. Serenity decided that they should stop to eat lunch.

“So what’s for lunch sis?” Serenity was expectant for some nice sandwiches.

“Well…oh crud! I forgot to grab the lunch basket! I think it’s still in the store. I bet somebody took it by now…” Crystal tried to comfort her little sister over there lost lunch. Then she remembered the time her father taught her how to make a fishing rod…

“Daddy, I forgot our fishing stuff. I’m really sorry…” the little girl tugged at Mr. Hiroshi’s shirt. She looked at him with large “puppy dog eyes”.

“It’s all right. I thought this might happen. Crystal, see that branch over there? Could you grab that for me?” Crystal grabbed the branch. Then she asked if her father needed anything else.

“See the loose thread on my jacket over there? Go ahead and pull it.” The little five-year old pulled the string as it extended strand by strand. Then her father pulled out his pocketknife and cut the string. He then tied the string around the branch and then grabbed a sharp-edged rock. He attached the rock to the end of the string. Then they both cast their lines. Amazingly, they caught seven fish!

“I always could count on dad.” Crystal said to herself. She went and grabbed a branch, a sharp rock, and some loose thread from Serenity’s jacket. She cast out her line, hoping that she could catch some fish to eat. She sat there waiting along the riverbank by the side of the road. She could see her reflection and her eyes, dulled by boredom and hunger. Then Crystal felt a tug on her line.

“Pull! Man, that’s fish has got to be huge! Hang on sis, I’m coming!” Serenity held on to Crystal’s shirt and pulled as hard as she could. And out sprang from the water a little blue creature. It hopped onto the shore but was bound by the string. It was round in shape and its belly was white with a swirling black pattern. It had a little red lip and brown eyes.

“A Poliwag!” Crystal pointed out. She remembered this Pokemon from the time she was forced to study at the Pokemon Academy in Rustburro City. Then she looked at its white tail. The rock was wedged deep in the Poliwag’s tail. Blood stained the Pokemon’s tail. Serenity pulled the rock out from the tail.

“There, that’s better. I just wish there was a way to cover up the wound…” Serenity looked around but with no avail. Then Crystal took Serenity’s jacket and wrapped it around the injury.

“Here we go. You okay?” Crystal patted Poliwag’s tail. The blue tadpole seemed satisfied.

“Poli! <Oh gosh! First I get a rock stuck in my tail, and now I’m being stared at by stinking humans, oh what will happen next? Well, at least these girls know how to take care of a guy.>” Poliwag was just glad that humans couldn’t understand his speech.

“Hey, don’t be rude! We hooked your tail on accident!” Crystal retorted. Poliwag looked shocked.

“<How could she understand me?>” Poliwag thought to himself. Then he noticed the crystal bell. He looked into her eyes and saw trust.

“<That bell isn’t just a trinket, it’s the Crystal Bell. Maybe that’s why she can understand me…>” Poliwag thought.

“If you want, you can join us for lunch…the only problem is that our fishing rod is broken…” Crystal offered.

“<I think I can help out…>” Poliwag dove into the water. About one minute later, he came up from the river with three large fish in his mouth.

“Wow! Now we can eat, thanks Poliwag!” Serenity wanted to shake hands with the creature, but unfortunately, he had no hands.

After they ate, Crystal and Serenity continued down the lane towards the forest entrance. They kept walking until they noticed that their little blue friend was following them.

“Poliwag, what are you doing here?” Poliwag just kept walking by them.

“<Whatever, dunno why, but I just feel like followin’ ya. Oh, by the way, that little girl over there can’t understand me…can she?>” Poliwag wanted to make sure that he was only talking to Crystal.

“What do you mean? I can understand you, so why can’t other humans?” Crystal was curious. She looked at her sister, who was staring at her like she was crazy.

“Why is she talking to that thing like she can understand it? She might just be stressed…” Serenity was concerned, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

“<You see kid, humans can’t understand us, but that bell around your neck let’s you understand us.>” that was Poliwag’s “theory”.

Now they were walking in the darkness of the Ilex Forest. There were so many trees that they blocked the sun’s light. The woods were shrouded in the shadows of the trees. Poliwag had a bad feeling about this place. He looked and saw some black birds gathered in the trees. They looked like crows, except they had a black hat like a witch’s.

“<Murkrow…I knew it. Those dirty vultures are just waiting to tear at our carcasses. Crystal, I think we should get out of here.>” Poliwag knew there would be trouble if they didn’t leave soon.

“Don’t worry. We’re just gonna pick some berries.” Crystal tried to calm the over-anxious Poliwag. Serenity reached out her hand to grab a ripe red fruit. Its shiny coat was the only source of light in the darkness of the forest. Luckily, Crystal had a guide on healing berries. The red fruit from this forest was supposed to cure fevers and such.

After collecting the necessary berries and herbs, Crystal and Serenity were ready to leave. Before they turned around, Crystal noticed a plaque on the ground. This was what she read:

He who passes through this gate
If his heart be filled with hate
Then doom and destruction shall be his fate
But if your soul is pure
To any problem you’ll find a cure​

“ ‘To any problem you’ll find a cure’? Maybe…” as Crystal was speculating to herself, her moment was broken as the Murkrow became stirred up. They swooped down towards Crystal, Serenity, and Poliwag.

“<Leave this place! Lest ye be brought to your doom!>” the Murkrow crowed their threats as they dove down and approached the company of Crystal, Serenity, and the little Poliwag. There were too many of them, and Poliwag couldn’t take on all of them…it seemed like the end of the line for our heroes, who knows what will happen next?

Well, that was chapter 3, I hope I did better…

 

[Confused no more]

Chapter 3 was ineresting, very interesting...

So does this mean that poliwag might be a possible starter?

 

[Don't care about you]

you'll have to wait until chapter 4...[SPOIL]maybe it will be, lol...[/SPOIL]

 

[Don't care about you]

Welcome chapter 4!!!!

Here we go (Chapter 4!)

Chapter 4: Dark Forests, a Canine Hero, and another Foe…

“<You will perish!>” the Murkrow flew towards Crystal’s head, but luckily, Poliwag jumped in their in the nick of time. Poliwag pelted the Murkrow with a burst of bubbles.

“<Better think before you attack someone.>” Poliwag had strengthened his pride. He attacked with flurry of bubbles. One of the Murkrow fell from the attack. The crow-like bird lay on the ground covered with bruises.

“Poliwag that was awesome!” Serenity cheered for the little blue tadpole.

But Poliwag’s efforts were in vain; he couldn’t defeat all of them. Two more of the antagonists swooped down upon the weakened Poliwag. Poliwag was being pushed to its limits.

“Poliwag, don’t give up! Use Bubble!” Crystal wasn’t a trainer, the words just poured out from her heart.

“<What are you, my trainer? Whatever…I don’t even know why I’m protecting you…>” Poliwag just continued to blast away, but he couldn’t keep it up. It seemed that all hope was lost until Serenity heard a little yelp.

“Is that…Poochyena!” it appeared that Serenity’s pet-like pooch had perfect timing. The black and gray mutt lunged at the Murkrow, biting hard on its wing, stopping it from flying away. It tackled the handicapped bird and knocked the crippled crow out. It seemed that the team faired well. But one more remained. This Murkrow was larger, its beak was crooked and its eyes were red. It had sharp talons and one bright red scar ran across the black bird’s cheek. It blew a powerful gust and pushed back Poochyena and Poliwag.

“<You fools! I’m stronger than my comrades>” Murkrow crowed as he impacted into Poliwag’s white, swirl-patterned stomach.

“<Yeah, yeah. That is such an overused threat. All talk and no action…seriously dude, come up with something more original…>” Poliwag sighed, he lost his interest in the battle. He continued to wheeze from the impact though.

“<Stop the sarcasm you twit! Help me out here, this bird-brain is driving me nuts!>” Poochyena gave a growl. He jumped back as Murkrow dove down towards its target: Poochyena.

“<Fine…>” the lazy and tired Poliwag decided to help out the mutt. He was annoyed by the Murkrow’s attitude. Poliwag sprinted and rammed the bird. Poochyena tackled the immobilized crow.

“<You, *huff*, can’t, *huff*, win.>” the big black bird was a little bit worn out, but he got up.

“<Hey, you tadpole thing! Let’s finish this!>” Poliwag rolled his eyes. He didn’t take orders from anyone, but he wanted to dispose of this feathered nuisance.

“Poliwag! Bubble!” Crystal yelled. Poliwag just stared at her.

“Oops, oh yeah, this guy doesn’t take anyone seriously…” Crystal’s thoughts were circling around Poliwag.

“Poochyena, Shadow Ball!” Serenity recalled this order from the time her mother used it to chase off the thieves that tried to steal her bracelet.

The two both launched their attacks. Poliwag fired a barrage of bubbles while Poochyena launched a dark sphere of energy.

“<Idiots. You forget that I can fly.>” Poochyena made Murkrow eat his words. Poochyena split into an array of shadows; the shadowy “clones” surrounded Murkrow and then one of the copies hounded the clueless crow to the ground. Murkrow watched as the two attacks headed towards him. He tried to break free, but the images were piled on top of him and he couldn’t move. The immobilized Murkrow watched as he realized there was nothing left to do. The two attacks made their impact and the defenseless bird was blown away.

“<Serves you right…>” Poochyena smirked. He cocked his head and was about to make sure that no one was annoyed by these birds again. He opened his jaw, but luckily for the Murkrow, Serenity stepped in.

“Don’t hurt them. Don’t cause anymore trouble.” Serenity held on to Poochyena and restrained him from causing any more pain.

Poliwag chuckled and decided to finish the job himself, but Crystal grabbed the tadpole held him tight in her arms.

“<What the hell are you doing?!>” Poliwag was trying to break free of her grasp, but then he looked into Crystal’s eyes. Water filled her eyes. They were tears, she was crying.

“Please, the violence has to stop!” Crystal’s heart was broken as she saw the injured Murkrow. Sure they attacked her, but they didn’t deserve to die did they? They were just territorial…and dark, but were they evil?

Serenity checked her handbag and pulled out some bandages. Crystal and Serenity began covering up the birds’ bruises.

“<Why?>” those were the only words the Murkrow was able to utter.

“Not another word. You need your rest.” Crystal replied.

“<…You’re not so bad…for a human.>” The Murkrow managed bring a small smile across its lips.

“Thank you…I never did like violence…” and she never did.

Serenity continued to bandage the birds, but Crystal had something else on her mind.

“ ‘To any problem you’ll find a cure’…I wonder…” Crystal approached the stone tablet. It was written in some ancient language. Serenity couldn’t read, but for some reason, Crystal could. She touched the tablet and opened her eyes, only to find herself in another vision.

“<Crystal…Crystal…>” Crystal got up and stared into Suicune’s green eyes. Suicune had finally reached her mind. And all Crystal could see was the blue creature. He was surrounded by a blue aura.

“You again…what is it?” Crystal was curious. Why was he calling her now?

“<I want to let you know two things. One, Ho-oh’s life force is fading, and his flame is diminishing. Two, don’t go any farther, this shrine is guarded by a powerful spell, and the awakening has not yet come…now, go back to your world, but remember to turn back.>” with the warning out of the way, Suicune vanished, leaving Crystal alone.

“Wait a second! I still have some questions! Don’t leave!” it was too late, Crystal’s world faded back to reality.

“Crystal, are you okay?” Serenity was relieved to see her open her eyes, because unknown to Crystal, she had been “asleep” for an hour. The Murkrow had left them but Poliwag and Poochyena remained by her side.

“I’m fine.” Crystal replied. Poliwag returned to his usual behavior, since Crystal was okay.

“<What’s that? Girls, can you hear it? It’s coming from the bushes!>” Poochyena warned the two, but only Crystal understood. It was true; in the bushes she heard a faint rustling of leaves. Then she saw two beady yellow eyes. The black mutt and the blue tadpole had their eyes locked, ready to attack. Serenity shivered with the sensation of fear. Crystal had a bad feeling about this too. The dark gloom of the woods only added to the girls’ anxiety.

“I don’t know what that thing is but I’d rather not find out…” Crystal looked worried

“<Don’t sweat it we’ll take care of it.>” Poochyena was trying to calm her, but in reality, he had a powerful urge to fight. He looked across to Poliwag who looked both bored and anxious at the same time, Poochyena didn’t get how someone could be so careless and at the same time be prepared for the unexpected.

“I hope so…” Crystal was still concerned, but she had faith in Poochyena and Poliwag, now she was just waiting to see what would come next…

Well, that was chapter 4…hope you liked it!

 

[Shadownight of Summerclan]

That was cool, keep it up.