Varying Circumstances

Author’s Note: Incredible! Posting up Chapter 9 saw the hits shoot up quite a bit. I was surprised, actually. 3000 hits strong! Thanks to everyone who’s been reading thus far! Sorry, but this is probably the first chapter to actually NOT contain sex. I know, mind boggling, isn’t it? We’ll return to the regularly scheduled smut in the next chapter!



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“I sense something amiss. Something’s not right.”



“I do, too. What do you think it is?”



“… The Great War is approaching. We must prepare. The Legendary Birds have begun to stir, and they are restless. The awakening of the Regis has them on edge.”



“So, have we decided just who exactly the Chosen One might be?”



“I think there’s more than one.”



“Seriously?”



“Yes, though I’m not sure who they are. There’s no real clear indicator.”



“So it’s all just guesswork, and hoping we’re right?”



“More or less. We’ve narrowed it down to a few people. Let’s just hope we’re right.”



“Yes, I agree. We must find him again and warn him, but we’re so far away..”



“We have no choice. We must go to him.”



“Yes. The sooner, the better.”



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“Welcome to the Safari Zone! Are you new here?” The woman behind the desk smiles, accepting money from both Kristina and Nicholas as they approach.



Kristina nods, but Nicholas shakes his head. “I’ve done this before with my dad a while ago, when I was younger. I don’t think much has changed, has it?”



The woman shakes her head. “Nope. You have a set amount of time to spend in the Safari Zone. When time is up, we’ll drive out to bring you back. We’ll be giving you special Safari Balls, which you can use to capture Pokemon. Also, you can’t fight with your Pokemon. You have to capture them by baiting them and luring them closer. The less time the Safari Ball is in the air, the better the chance you have to capture a Pokemon. Other than that, be sure not to upset any Pokemon in large groups, as they can whip up into a frenzy and stampede.”



“We’ll keep that in mind.” Nicholas smiles, looking down at his Absol. “Looks like you get to take a break and watch.” He grins, scratching Aisha’s head affectionately as he leads her and Kristina out into the nicely cut grass. Taller grass, rocky cliffs, and trees all make up the majority of the Safari Zone, as it tries to really be like a real safari. Nevermind the homes meant for allowing trainers and visitors alike to rest.



“I’m really looking forward to visiting the Seafoam Islands.” Kristina muses thoughtfully, glancing slowly over at Nick. “I’ve heard they’re really interesting to look at.” She smiles.



Nicholas glances over at her. “Well, we can’t really travel there. We have to take a ferry to Cinnabar.”



“Aww. Why?”



“We’re both lacking Pokemon that can safely take us across the water.” Nicholas points out, slowly moving out into the tall grass, pushing it aside as he seeks anything interesting or, more importantly, rare. A Paras pokes its head out of the ground, and quickly burrows down to avoid being captured. “Huh. No wonder we need bait. I don’t think catching them will be easy..”



Kristina frowns, also searching as she considers their options. “What about my Magikarp?”



“Useless, remember?” Nicholas glances back at her. “Besides..” He looks ahead once again, breaking free of the taller grass to continue on the beaten path. “The ferry is quicker, and anything that puts more distance between us and Julius is fine with me.”



“Okay… but I really wanted to visit.” Kristina pouts.



Nicholas chuckles. “Tell you what. I promise sometime I’ll bring you to Seafoam Islands. How does that sound?”



Kristina nods, grinning. “Good! I’m sure it will be for a special occasion. Maybe my birthday?”



“Maybe. When is your birthday, anyway?” Nicholas inquires, slowly moving past the water, watching Psyduck holding their heads on the opposite shore.



“Pretty soon now. Hey, isn’t that a Dragonair?” Kristina stares at the water, watching something beneath the surface swim gracefully. It seems that she’s right in her guess, the Pokemon poking its head out of the water to look around carefully with large, dark eyes.



Not one to pass up on an opportunity, Nick quickly digs into his pocket and works out some bait, setting down a few chunks of it on the shoreline. He steps back away, pulling Kristina with him. “This one is definitely mine. Dratini are rare, but Dragonair are really rare, and they can get to be pretty strong..”



“I used to have a Dratini plush when I was a kid.” Kristina reflects calmly, watching carefully as the Dragonair takes the bait. It slowly moves in closer, poking its head out of the water a second time once close enough to pick up some bait, and chew on it happily, clearly pleased with the free food. Nicholas edges in closer, leaving Kristina behind as he moves slowly to try not to alert it, but he’s not quiet enough. The Dragonair’s eyes open, and it spots the trainer moving in.



This is something the Dragonair is used to. Having been there for quite a few years and remained elusive, she knew that where there was bait or Pokeblocks, there was always a trainer waiting to capture her. Instinct takes over as she snags the bait and quickly moves to turn and head back into the water, thrashing and sending spray this way and that.



Of course, not to be deterred by the violent thrashing, Nicholas arms a Safari Ball and tosses it, the ball catching the Dragonair just as it leaps into the air to dive back to the safety of the depths below. There’s a squeak of surprise as she disappears in a blaze of red light, and the ball plunks into the water.



“Oh, damn it. I’m going to have to dive in to see if it caught or not..” Nicholas murmurs, working off his shirt and pants quickly, hopping in in just boxer shorts.



“Hey, wait!” Kristina calls, trying to get him to stop, but it’s far too late. She glances over at Aisha, who looks back, and shrugs helplessly. “He’s really determined when it comes to rare Pokemon, huh?”



Down beneath the clear water, the variety and number of Pokemon was astounding. Dratini were generally sticking close to the deepest depths, only coming up for breath now and then, Poliwag, Goldeen and Magikarp making up the majority of Pokemon swimming the cool water. Nicholas peeks around for the Safari Ball, trying to find it. It’s only when the ball glints from the sunlight filtering down from above that he dives down lower to examine it.



The ball is open and broken, meaning only one thing. He curses to himself, and plucks up the broken Safari Ball. It’s when he prepares to head back up that he sees something moving just out of his field of vision. He turns to look, but… again! Just out of his view. He quickly looks around, only to find a giggling Dragonair slowly moving to curl around him. He blinks in surprise, watching the Dragonair curl around him, touch him and examine him carefully.



This all seemed to make sense for Nicholas. While Dragonair was in his element when she came up for the bait, he was in her element now, and her nature was quite a bit different. The Dragonair examines him carefully for any more bait, and when there doesn’t seem to be any, there’s a bit of disappointment as she turns and swims around him, watching quietly.



In the midst of all this, Nicholas forgets that he can’t hold his breath as long as the Dragonair, and he quickly swims for the surface, his head breaking, allowing him to take a deep breath of precious oxygen. “Phew.”



“Did you catch it?!” Kristina calls from her place sitting at the shore, Aisha laying next to her.



Nicholas shakes his head. “I’m going to try again. Throw me a Safari Ball!”



“You’re crazy!” Kristina giggles, plucking up a Safari Ball from his small pack designed to hold them, throwing it out to him. Nick reaches a hand up to catch the ball, and he keeps it shrunk to that small size so it’s not so easily seen, before taking a deep breath and diving right back down.



Finding the Dragonair proves to be a bit more of a chore. It’s taken more towards the center of the lake, and almost seems to beckon him. Wanting to get close enough to capture her, Nicholas swims slowly after her, trying to get her to move within arms reach. The Dragonair suspects nothing as she moves back over to the trainer, swimming and coiling around him, interacting in an instinctive watery dance. If there was ever a time that Nicholas was impressed, it was the long Dragon-type slicing so gracefully through the water and around him, fluid, never once letting up in her movements.



Once the Dragonair returns, she gently pokes one of his hands with her nose, giggling. That was the hand with the Safari Ball. Nicholas blinks, opening the hand to show her. She swims back away, but slowly returns. Having encountered this particular ball far too many times (and escaped from them each and every time), she can’t help but stare as Nicholas makes it grow to normal size.



She seems thoughtful for a moment, before gently poking her nose against the Safari Ball. Whether or not this was intentional, Nicholas wasn’t sure, as she disappeared in that bright flash of red light into the Safari Ball, which shook gently in his hand.



Kristina perks up when she notices the burst of red light. “Huh. Did he get it..?”



A few moments later, Nicholas breaks the surface again, gulping in air. “I got her!”



“Really?! And here I thought you were crazy.” Kristina laughs, standing up and dusting herself off. “Come back and dry off!”



“Yeah. I was surprised, too. I guess she just wanted to come with me.” Nicholas shakes his head slowly. “Or maybe because I was honest with her about my intentions.” He wades back carefully towards shore, where Kristina waits patiently with a towel. “Thanks..” He smiles.



Kristina waves her hand a bit, handing him the towel with a blush. “Don’t mention it.”



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The next few days are occupied with a whirlwind of activity. Defeating Koga, repeat (though relatively unsuccessful) trips to Safari Zone, and booking tickets with the ferry for a one-way trip to Cinnabar Island. The ferry itself was a fairly quick, streamlined, state of the art ocean liner, capable of traveling to Cinnabar Island in the span of only a few days, so actually blowing a few days in Fuchsia City was a requirement, as the ferry had left not long before they’d arrived their first day.



Trainers, tourists and locals alike would travel to Cinnabar Island for an assortment of things not quite available on the east side of Kanto. Though the main draw, like many of the towns in Kanto, was the gym, many things you could only find on the east coast was only a day’s trip away by ferry.



The closer the two got to the newly constructed port, the stronger the smell of the sea was as their noses caught the scent. Aisha wasn’t particularly thrilled with the smell, as she would sneeze now and then, and seemed uncomfortable through the entirety of the boarding process. It didn’t seem like there were too many people traveling to Cinnabar Island. Mostly fellow trainers, and a few people taking advantage of their good timing to get across to the other side of Kanto without other costly forms of transportation.



When the ferry finally set off, Nicholas and Kristina moved to find their room. It was relatively small, and contained..



“Only one bed?” Kristina groans, folding her arms under her chest. “I’m so used to sleeping in my own bed..”



“You sure about that?” Nick teases, nudging her in the side as he sets his things down. The low hum of the streamlined engine could be heard through the wall, but the sound was far from overwhelming, and he knew it would probably put him to sleep not long after he hit the bed.



Well, that was if he got to go to bed. His nights had been pretty active ever since he’d started his journey.



“I’m going to go look around the boat.” Nicholas offers, turning and heading out the door before Kristina can stop him. Aisha opts to stay behind, content with the clean air of the room as compared to the salty air outside, which wreaked havoc on her nose. Kristina looks up to say good bye, but by that point, he’s already gone.



Though the ship isn’t particularly large, walking across it can be a bit of an exercise. Every area, barring the engine room and kitchen, was open for public entry, so Nicholas made a beeline for the deck and, eventually, the control room where the ship was guided. It seemed like he wasn’t the only person with the same idea. A few trainers had gone up there to occupy some time until the sun set watching the captain give orders and the navigator plot out their path.



“As you can already tell, by the time you wake up, we’ll be close to Cinnabar Island. Unless you make the effort to wake up, you’ll probably miss the Seafoam Islands. If you do wake up, they’re difficult to miss, and you’ll know why.” The navigator offers to the small crowd that had grown there.



“About what time will we be passing the islands?” One of the trainers speaks up.



“Probably sometime around three or four in the morning. Wake up at three and look north.” The navigator answers.



It’s when the sun goes down that the group was ushered out onto the deck, and urged to head to their rooms to sleep. Deciding it might be best to do so himself, Nicholas heads back below deck, entering an empty room. Blinking in surprise, Nicholas seats himself on the bed and pulls off his shoes and shirt, moving under the covers and vaguely wondering where Aisha was as he drifted off to sleep to the dull hum of the engines below.



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Nicholas…



Nicholas, we need you. Please wake up…



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At first Nicholas had thought it was a dream, but no dream of his had ever had voices that clear. It was enough to rattle him into consciousness. Then it was there again, clear and crisp as if someone was speaking to him, but with a different feeling. Like someone was inside his head. A female voice, soothing, which is nice, because normally he might have panicked.



Come out to the back of the ship. We must speak to you. There is little time, and things are unfolding as we speak that are greater than you realize. We want, no, need to speak with you.



Glancing over at the other side of the bed, Nicholas could barely make out the sleeping form of Kristina, though he could feel the warmth of his Absol at the foot of the bed. Carefully making his way out of bed and getting his clothes on was a bit of a chore, but once he was out in the light of the hallway with his things, looking like he’d lost a fight with a Rhyhorn, making his way up onto the deck and towards the back of the ferry was easy.



Once there, he was greeted with the sight of the tail end of the Seafoam Islands. The white foam glowed yellow with the light of Lanturn, lighting up the entrance to the winding caverns beneath the island. The voices were no longer there, and as he looked around, nothing was there. For a moment, he waited, before slowly moving to turn.



“Wait!”



Nicholas froze in his tracks. That voice again. This time, not in his head, but there behind him. Once he’d turned, two beings floated along with the ship, watching them. Two sleek creatures that Nicholas could only identify as Pokemon that he’d never had the chance to see before, but recognized from theoretical talk of legendary and incredibly rare Pokemon.



“I can’t believe it… a Latios and a Latias…”



Yet here they were, staring right at him with looks that were so serious he was afraid that they might attack him. Almost as if sensing his apprehension, the Latias floats closer, smiling a little.



“Don’t be afraid. We’re not here to attack you. We’re here to warn you.” The Latias offers calmly, glancing over at the Latios.



When he finally speaks, it’s with a voice that’s clearly masculine, almost as if commanding authority with his tone. “We will not beat around the bush, Nicholas. You are the Chosen One.”



“Chosen One… for what..?”



Latias continues for Latios calmly. “The Great War is approaching. Legendary Pokemon of incredible power will soon awaken and descend upon Kanto. This continent will be used as a battleground if you don’t stop it.”



“… Tell me more, then. What am I supposed to do?” Nicholas inquires calmly, trying to wrap his mind around the idea of a clash of legendary Pokemon.



“You do not know it yet, but your blood holds an incredible secret. Paired with the second Chosen One, you can bring a stop to this and return the Pokemon to their respective places of hibernation. You have encountered the one known as Regice, correct?” Latios inquires.



“Yes. On two occasions, actually.” Nicholas smiles. “I don’t look back upon either very fondly.”



Latios nods. “The Regis were the keys to sealing the legendary Pokemon away. Now the Legendary Birds stir, as do Ho-oh and Lugia.”



“Ho-oh and Lugia? Those are flying Pokemon generally considered by most to be mythos in Johto..”



Latias nods also, smiling. “You’re very bright.”



“Yes, it certainly saves us time from having to explain it to you.” Latios smirks. “The Regis are what you humans consider ‘checks and balances’. As long as the Regis are in hibernation, the Legendary Pokemon in their regions stay in hibernation as well, unless directly awaken by human contact.”



“If the Regis are awoken or captured like they were in Hoenn, these checks and balances are nullified, and the Legendary Pokemon, unless calmed and sent into hiding or hibernation by a greater Legendary Pokemon.” Latias continues.



“That explains the situation in Hoenn a few years ago, with those two legendary Pokemon in Sootopolis..” Nicholas hums thoughtfully. “But I still don’t understand. Who’s the other Chosen One?”



Latias shakes her head slowly. “We don’t know yet. We considered your female friend, but you have coupled with her on a few occasions, yes?” She smiles slyly.



Nicholas grins sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “A few times..”



“We would not be meeting if your friend was the Chosen One. Even by simply touching, you would have stopped the Great War. Unfortunately, our time grows very limited.” Latios begins again. “As does yours. You must find the other and make contact. As we speak, Kyogre crosses the sea..”



“… Do you feel that?” Latias gasps, looking around quickly.



Nicholas blinks. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”



“No. We’re in grave danger.” Latias murmurs. “But, yes, I do feel that.”



Without warning, an icy-blue bolt of energy fires from the distance, catching Latias in the side. The nearly completely frozen Pokemon spirals through the air and slams to the water, trying to escape its frozen prison. “It’s here! The Regice controlled by the woman!”



“You’ve got to be kidding me..!” Nicholas moves up towards the railing and looks down.



“Latios!” Latias gasps, quickly turning in mid-air and moving back towards Latios, clawing helplessly at the ice to try and get him out. “We need to get you out of here..”



Latios shakes his head quickly. “Get him out of here. Get the boy and take him somewhere safe.”



“But..” Latias stares at him.



Latios smirks. “This isn’t the time to be stubborn, damn it. Just go get him. And get his friend, too!”



Latias nods, and slowly drifts backwards away. Something out of the corner of her eye catches her attention, an explosion. She barely pulls a barrier up around herself in time to take the impact of a ball she could barely recognize as a Pokeball as it vaporized by its own sheer force of movement. Latios isn’t so lucky, the ball coming quickly into contact with the helpless legendary. “LATIOS!”



Nicholas watches helplessly, turning back to look in the direction the explosion had come from. Right overhead of the Regice, skating over the water by simply turning it into ice, a helicopter hovered, a bright red R painted to the sides. “God damn it..”



The ball holding Latios clicks and chimes, plunking gently into the water.



“NOOOO!” Latias screams, diving into the water to try and retrieve the ball.



Nick quickly realizes that now’s the time to escape, and he makes a run for the stairs leading down into the ship. He had to get Kristina and Aisha awake and out of here! Kristina had a Skarmory, maybe they could escape back in the direction of Seafoam Islands. It’s when the ship lurches to a violent stop almost moments after his feet hit the ground on the correct floor that he’s thrown violently down the long hallway, skidding to a stop only feet away from a solid steel wall.



All that time, the sound of screaming, things falling and smashing, and the engines malfunctioning and whirring dangerously loud, the blades making loud cutting noises, as if hitting ice. That may very well be the case. Nicholas scrambles to his feet, making his way back down the hallway and towards his room, snagging the doorknob and throwing open the door. Kristina and Aisha were both laying on their sides against the wall, though only Kristina was half-conscious, a flow of blood working its way down from her head.



“Oh, shit. Kristina..! Are you okay?!” Nicholas moves in towards her, working a Pokeball off his belt to recall his fallen Absol.



“What happened..? I remember laying down next to you while you were sleeping, next thing I know I’m… ugh… my head..” Kristina murmurs, cringing softly as Nicholas tries to help her stand.



“We’re being attacked. By that Raina lady and her Regice. We have to get out of here. Do you have your Skarmory?” Nicholas inquires, getting her to a stand so she could lean against the wall.



Kristina nods slowly, groggily, almost as if she weren’t all there. “Fifth Pokeball on my belt.” She motions back towards her things.



“I’m going to have him take you to Seafoam Islands. Seems you get to visit sooner than you expec… oh, Kristina. Stay with me. You can’t pass out..” Nicholas murmurs softly to her, quickly grabbing up her things and releasing her Skarmory. The Pokemon, confused, glances around to get an idea of where it was, before looking towards his injured trainer.



“Skarmory, carry these things, and take her.” Nicholas gently works the pack of her things around its long neck, before moving to help Kristina onto her Skarmory’s back. “Good, good. You need to get out of here.” He pushes, and the Skarmory wastes little time getting through the door. “Steel Wing, Skarmory! Cut a hole out of here!”



With a fierce cry of its name, the powerful Skarmory uses its sharp wings to work through the steel of the ferry, bursting free of the hole and into the cool night air. Heading back the way the ferry had come, with its precious cargo in tow, the Skarmory wasn’t keen on sticking around too long.



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“Oh, Latios. What have the humans done? Have their greed completely blinded them from the danger that approaches?” Latias sobs quietly to herself, the Master Ball containing her former comrade in her small hands, looking up at the surface and the rapidly spreading ice flow atop the water. “I wish I had known. I would have saved you, first.. I thought they were just normal..”



A sudden crack of ice and burst of water alerts Latias to something coming, and she releases the Master Ball. The blur of an Empoleon works past her at blinding speed, scooping up that very same Master Ball that was in her hands only seconds prior, and the Empoleon turns, jetting for the surface.



“Latios!” Latias cries softly, fighting instinct to chase after him. “… It’s okay. Things aren’t completely out of hand yet. I just have to find the boy and the girl and hope they’re okay..” She murmurs. “I should have done that first. I’m sorry, Latios..”



Heading for the surface, something else catches her attention. Something powerful. Far more powerful than the Regice still assaulting the ship as she breaks the surface. “… No..! Has it begun already?! Is it too late?!”



Spying a Skarmory with a half-conscious Kristina on its back, Latias heads quickly towards the hole contained. “It’s not too late. Nicholas!” She calls as she approaches the hole, stopping quickly to peek inside.



There, having only just watched the Skarmory escape, Nicholas stares back at Latias in disbelief. “What happened?!”



“Latios was caught. I’ll explain it all later. I need you to get on my back, quickly. You are in an incredible amount of danger, and..” Latias doesn’t get to finish the sentence, screeching in pain as a deep purple-black bolt of overwhelmingly powerful energy slams into her. The sound of ice cracking, and a heavy splash of water, the impact enough to nearly send the ship tipping over, proves that Latias is out of the picture. At least for the moment.



Nicholas quickly scrambles, the ship at an angle that makes immediately escaping difficult, forcing him to pull himself up and through the door steeply angled door. The walls were quickly becoming the floor as the ship was slowly beginning to tip, no longer balanced well on the ice. He considered diving for it out the hole, but he makes his way back towards the stairs leading up towards the deck. Maybe there he could find a trainer with transportation trying to escape.



Stop.



Almost as if on command, Nicholas stops, hoping to see Latias had recovered. Instead, as he turns, his eyes widen in shock. The source of that oppressive energy, the powerful attack that had nearly destroyed his only savior, stood there in the hallway, staring right at him.



I’ve finally found you. It was no small task to meet face to face.



“What ARE you?” Nicholas growls softly.



Hmph. Chosen One, you are intelligent, but your knowledge of Pokemon is lacking knowledge of the strongest of all. You may call me..



Mewtwo.



Nicholas’ eyes go wide, and he steps back. “You’re that escaped experiment. They said you were dead..”



Mewtwo smirks and shakes his head slowly, three-stubbed hands curling slowly in and out of themselves. Far from it, human. My plans for a Great War may have leaked out, but you will not be the one to save your region from destruction. The Legendary Pokemon will battle, and when there is nothing left to destroy, will move on to Johto. Then Hoenn. Then Sinnoh. There will be nothing left of humans. The last word was spit out like venom.



“You’re fucking sick.” Nicholas growls softly.



Do you want to fight, Nicholas? Chosen One? Do you think you have what it takes to truly stop my plans?



Then it struck him. Did he have what it took? His strongest Pokemon was out of commission, and his other Pokemon weren’t apt to be effective if a Pokemon as rare and legendary as Latias was unable to take a direct hit from an overwhelmingly powerful attack. It certainly put things into perspective.



Don’t be a coward like your friend, Julius. He’d proven time and time again that he was incapable of killing you himself, even with your guard down, even with the threat of the death of his friends, his family, his Pokemon. Back at the Pokemon Dome was his last chance. I no longer need him, now that we are face to face.



“What’re you talking about? What happened to Julius?” Nicholas inquires cautiously, adjusting his balance as the ship creaks a little to one side again.



Mewtwo slowly begins to generate a ball of overwhelming energy. The same kind, no, stronger than the one that had destroyed the Latias. Nothing. He’s free now. I should have manipulated a stronger trainer, but now isn’t the time for regret. Now is the time that you die!



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“What the hell is going on in there?” Raina calls into her radio from the helicopter, several boats with bright red R’s on the fronts having pulled up alongside the ship, Team Rocket soldiers sweeping over the deck quickly, making their way down below deck shortly after a fruitless topside search.



A radio crackles. “We’ve detected another Pokemon on the ship. Much stronger than the Latias and Latios. Well, we don’t even sense Latias on our radar anymore. She’s gone. Whether she’s dead or used that stealth ability they have is up to question.”



“What Pokemon?” Raina demands, leaning back in her chair as the pilot keeps his distance from the Regice.



“… My God.”



Raina growls. “What the hell is going on?! What Pokemon, damn it?!”



“It’s.. Mewtwo!” The radio crackles, only seconds before the ferry erupts in a violent explosion, the force more than enough to push both Regice and helicopter back, and setting off smaller explosions on boats both occupied and unoccupied.



Raina covers her head instinctively, opening her eyes to peek down at the wreckage. “… He’s still alive.” She murmurs, smirking softly to herself. “Could things get any better..?”