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The Dark Type	By : Manifest Destiny Category: Pokemon > General Views: 36309 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Pokemon is copy write by GameFreak, INC. and Nintendo. I make no money from this story, nor do I seek any.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
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Chapter 14: Silver and Gold
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One more day, and then it would be time to move on.
Giovanni walked along at a leisurely pace, staring up at the cave’s ceiling. He wasn’t headed anywhere specific, he was only passing time; his legs had gotten stiff from sitting and waiting alone in his hideout. Now he was traversing the uneven ground inside the cave system known as the Tohjo Falls. He was mindful of where his feet were landing, testing each step before moving forward again. A nasty fall caused by a clumsy slip would be such an unfitting end for someone like him. A change in illumination brought him to pause; the nighttime sky must have cleared up outside. An eerie glow streamed into underground cavern, scattering off the various pools of water rock formations.
The full moon’s gaze brought the dark interior to life in small ways. Puddles were now visible and paths were easier to spot. Zubat caught in the light existed for an instant before being absorbed once again by the dark of the cave. A large gap in the ceiling of the cave sent a column of white light cascading into the cave, the moonbeam visible in the air and surrounded by the darkness. Giovanni smiled as he saw it shine on one of Tohjo’s two waterfalls like it was put on display.
“Trying to tell me something?” he asked aloud, as if he was expecting something to call back and tell him to head back. Giovanni shook his head and began retracing his steps back to his small hideout.
He followed the path he had learned long ago in his youth, well before he was known as a disgraced Gym Leader and criminal. His hiding spot was known only to him as far as he could be sure. He walked the length of the pool that the waterfall emptied into until he had to reach out a hand to feel for the cave wall hidden by the spray of water around him. Above him a large underground river was emptying, coming from a source he never cared to find out. It ended and split, forming the two waterfalls of the cave’s fame. Each began a new river, heading in opposite directions. His waterfall eventually sent its water west, to Johto.
His palm hit cold rock. Giovanni turned to look back to where he had been. Only white spray and darkness met his eyes. Satisfied, he began walking forward towards the waterfall. Whether by nature or human hand, a smooth, flat slope ran behind the two waterfalls, almost completely hidden to any casual passersby. It only had one glaring flaw; the length of the hidden walkway that ran between the two waterfalls was uncovered. Anyone who would be below him would be unable to see the path, but left whoever was walking on it completely exposed. However, in the dead of night, Giovanni allowed himself the luxury of moving slowly across the damp ledge. He doubted many people other than him walked through these caves at night.
Before crossing under the second roaring torrent of water and into his hiding place, he chanced a look to the gaping hole in the cave’s ceiling. The bright white moon sat perfectly in the middle of the jagged tear in the rock. Giovanni stood in the moon’s spotlight a moment longer, appreciating the view from his perch. The cave would have been quiet and peaceful were it not the deafening roar of the twin falls beside him.
Continuing his secluded path, he took a memorized number of steps and into a crack in the stone wall. A wide recess in the wall served as one of his favorite hiding places. The entrance would have you believe it to be just a small, cramped space formed by water eroding stone over the years, but it widened further into the full room that it was today. Giovanni had brought his Pokémon—some long since passed on—and helped expand his little hideaway into a low-ceilinged cave the size of a common apartment. It stayed dry, for the most part. The first few feet stayed damp year-round thanks for the waterfall that concealed it. Shelves of stone were kept at certain heights for certain purposes; seats, a bed, table. His belongings were scattered around the cave. A bedroll was laid out on the low, long slab towards the back of the cave. Across from it, was a tunnel, leading to a series of others, snaking through the mountains above. Giovanni had carefully excavated each one with his Pokémon over the years. He knew the twists and turns by heart. If nothing else, he always had a way out of his most hidden place.
Taking advantage the moon’s convenient position, he began changing out of his soaking wet clothes in the dim moonlight. One of the few drawbacks of this hideout; you never could quite get in or out without getting wet. After pulling on a dry outfit he laid his wet clothes on one of the flat rocks in the cave. He picked up his long brown coat and put it on, the cool night air was getting to him. Giovanni idly reached inside one of its interior pockets.
“Let’s see now…” he muttered to himself, pulling free a round, faceted diamond. The large gem glittered a soft azure hue in the refracted moonlight that pierced the waterfall. Each smooth side of the jewel spoke to him secrets that only a trained eye would see. Staring too long into the beauty of the orb in his hand was a mistake—one he learned the hard way—and he soon tore his attention away from it. He got what he needed, though he couldn’t shake the small headache that now pounded away in the back of his skull.
“Three minutes.”
Giovanni replaced the treasure in his coat, the only place he deemed safe for the relic. The moon had either moved far enough away from the appropriate angle, or a cloud obscured its gaze once again as the cave was swathed in darkness suddenly. Giovanni strained his eyes and carefully crossed to what made up his bed. He sat down, feeling through the darkness until he found a small gas-powered lantern and lit it. The cave took on an orange shade in contrast to the white glow it had moments ago.
Time ticked on inside his head, counting down. He sat calmly, preparing for what was coming. He hoped he was ready; time spent as a Gym Leader and boss of a crime syndicate left him terribly out of practice for this. Earlier confrontations with much more formidable opponents seem insignificant to who would soon be in his presence. Giovanni was anxious; not because of the power or position his impending arrival carried, but because he refused to peek at how this confrontation would end. He had gotten used to cheating time. He had done so enough to know that foreknowledge made things boring and stale. For this, he wanted to see events unfold before his eyes normally.
“Two minu—”
The sound of something crashing through water stopped him mid-sentence.
He got to his feet and looked to the entrance of his cave. Slowly, the head of a large serpent with glittering crimson scales came into view. It rose up, fighting against the torrential downpour of the waterfall and stuck its head and part of its long body into the cave. Off the serpent’s back slid a man with long, red hair. His feet hit the cave floor hard, followed by a pair of clawed paws beside him. The Weavile shook itself to dry its fur. In the small moment before his son pushed his wet hair out of his face, Giovanni let a small, proud smile linger on his face.
Still as brash as ever. Giovanni crossed his arms and took a relaxed stance. “I’m surprised,” he said. “You’re almost a full two minutes early.”
Silver stood and sent an annoyed glare back at him. He then turned to his Gyarados and placed his hand on its side. It was exhausted, possibly from the constant travel the past few days. Silver fed it a ripe, yellow berry and returned it to its Poké Ball after muttering a quiet word of thanks. With a wordless order, his Weavile came to his side and fixed its gaze at the older man, ready to pounce at the opportunity or command. With his back to the cave’s entrance, Silver now faced his father for the first time in almost ten years. His silver-colored eyes burned with anger.
Many words could be used to describe his own emotion at that moment, but Giovanni settled on one: happiness.
“I’m glad you came,” he said. “I was hoping we could clear some of the air between us, as well as discuss other, more pressing matters. But first, I have something for you.”
Giovanni reached into another pocket inside his overcoat and pulled out a small, silver locket on a chain. He gave it one last lingering stare before tossing it in his son’s direction. It was caught in the air by Silver’s Weavile, who hissed angrily at him.
“Jallen,” Silver said, and immediately his Pokémon relaxed. Silver knelt down and took the trinket from his Pokémon, holding it up to his eye. “What’s this for? I hate to break it to you, but I’m not a ‘jewelry-wearing’ kind of person, father.” The distaste the word carried was evident.
“Don’t open it just yet,” Giovanni told him. “It’ll be easier that way.”
Silver stood back up, looking at the locket in his hand. Ignoring Giovanni’s advice, he found the tiny clasp at the top of the locket and opened it. The lid flipped open in his palm, the bottom half was a polished mirror, while the main body contained a small photo of a man with short brown hair, standing next to a red haired woman. In her arms was a sleeping baby that shared her bright hair color.
Giovanni looked for his son’s reaction, but whatever it was, it was well reserved. Silver only stared at the photograph for a minute before closing it back up, shutting his eyes and holding it in his fist for a few moments. His son surprised him when he pulled the chain over his head and tucked the locket inside his shirt. When their eyes met once again, he could tell some of the anger had left them.
“Why would you give this to me now?” he asked.
“Because I don’t know when I’ll be seeing you again. Not for some time, if my guesses are right. Forgive a father for trying to make use of what time he has left.”
“I’ll grant you that, but only that.” Silver’s expression suddenly hardened, “Jallen, grab him.”
The distance between Giovanni and where his son’s Weavile was took off from granted him three seconds before he would have to move out of the way. The Sharp Claw Pokémon dug its claws into the cave’s wet floor for more control, so he couldn’t hope for an extra second because of a slip—the rest of the cave floor was dry. Despite his expert eye, the bipedal cat-weasel was very quick on its feet, staying low to the ground, claws extended. At the third second after the Dark-Ice type took off, Giovanni took a calculated step back as a large blue blur flew out of the tunnel behind him.
A mass of scales, spikes and teeth collided with Silver’s Weavile, knocking the much lighter creature back with a swing of its tail. It watched as the small, clawed thing tumbled and slid across the cave floor. It took a defensive stance, crouching low as it circled its master. The Garchomp let out a fierce roar in defiance to any further attempts.
“Sazrah, I said to keep it light,” Giovanni said, sighing. “Poor thing looks like it might’ve gotten a broken rib.”
His dragon responded with an annoyed growl.
Silver was already at his Pokémon’s side when Giovanni turned his attention back to him. It managed to get back onto its feet, but was grimacing as clutched its side. Silver pulled out some medicine and applied it to the wound, instantly alleviating his Weavile’s pain. He stood back up and glared angrily at his father, his Weavile ready to attack once more.
“So…” Silver said, noting the notch in the dragon’s back fin. “He’s new. Where’d you find the time to train a Garchomp?”
“Old ‘Gym Leader’s habit’, I guess.” Giovanni patted his dragon’s head, “He was a real life saver a few months ago. We had a little run in with—”
“Red. I know. He reported straight to me after you so bravely ran away.”
“Oh? You’re on the same level as the famous Hero of Kanto so soon?”
This only annoyed Silver, “Not everything boils down to reputation and notoriety. He just told me what I needed to know.”
Giovanni nodded, “True enough, I suppose. That part of my life is behind me; I can’t keep up with who’s who these days.”
“Behind or not, you’re too much trouble for the League to let you just roam about freely. And I’m here to bring you back in.”
“Is that the little assignment they gave you to keep you busy?” he asked.
“Personal request, actually,” Silver said flatly.
Giovanni smiled, “Ah, but do you really think you should focus on me,” he reached into his coat and revealed his treasure to his son, “when I’ve made away with this?”
“Th—The Adamant Orb!? That’s what you— You’re the one who—?” Silver stood, mouth agape at what his father casually held in his hand. “Red mentioned I should speed up my search when he said he found you… and that lead that took me to Sinnoh…” he shook his head. “What are you thinking?”
“So, which is it?” Giovanni asked, “Come and get this, or try and subdue me?”
“Doing one will accomplish the other! Jallen, Ice Shard!”
Ice quickly coated his Pokémon’s claws and forearms, crystallizing in sharp, jagged points. With two, lightning fast swings, Jallen flung the sharp hunks of ice at the very vulnerable dragon in front of him. Traveling too quickly to dodge, the Garchomp simply brought its arm fins together. The shards of ice struck and exploded in frost, leaving small cuts in his scales and coating the dragon’s arms in patches of thin ice. To Silver’s surprise, his father’s Garchomp simply shook the ice free of its arms, looking none too bothered by the attack.
“You’d be surprised what a steady diet of Yache berries could do to your dragon’s resistance to cold,” Giovanni said proudly. He put the Adamant Orb back inside his coat. “He isn’t too shabby in endurance either, so I don’t think a brawl is your smartest move. I called you here because I wanted to talk, Silver.”
Silver’s Weavile was about to launch another volley of ice at his target before his trainer put out a hand to stop him.
“You mentioned that already, but I’m not sure if I want to hear what you have to say.”
“I didn’t say you had a choice. You need to hear it,” he said dismissively. “I’m sorely out of the information loop inside the Pokémon League now, but I’m hoping you can help me out in that respect. How much do they know of the group that calls themselves ‘The Watchmakers’?”
“The who?”
“Watchmakers,” he repeated. “They’re a group currently active within Johto—maybe Kanto as well—and I want you to help me make sure they’re stopped. I already passed this information to Red when I asked for his help. Didn’t he let you know?”
“No, nothing. If they’re bad enough, we’ll stop them anyway. We don’t need to follow your plan of action,” Silver said. “In fact, we’d get the same result if we just beat the information out of you.”
“Maybe, but what if, let’s just say, that there was a spy? Someone who is very keen on dropping me crucial information on these people, but would withdraw their support if I were to be captured?”
Silver grit his teeth, “Who is it? Which side is the spy on, ours or theirs?”
“I’m your best bet against these people,” Giovanni continued. “You can’t afford to lose me.”
“What makes you so important?” Silver asked.
“Because these ‘Watchmakers’ are trying to enact one of my old plans. It’s flimsy, based widely on theory, but has enough potential to be very dangerous should they succeed.” He patted his coat, “This little gem is part the plan’s ‘back up’, but they’re not going to get it.”
“Because we’ll get it back from you once we take you in!”
“Out of the question. It’s safer with me until I know more.”
“What don’t you know already? You seem to know that they’re trying to use one of your old schemes, so you should know enough to stop them.”
“But I don’t know who they all are, where they operate exactly, when they’ll act out my plan, or how far along they already are. I don’t know how many they are either. I could be hunting down two people, or two hundred. It’s far too soon to act with any noticeable direction.”
“What about your spy?” Silver asked.
Giovanni sighed, running a hand over his short hair. “I must admit, our informant isn’t exactly… liberal with how much, or how often he drops important information. He helps, but only when it helps him as well.”
“Wait,” Silver said. “You said ‘our’. Who else have you already enlisted in your mad scheme?”
“Slip of the tongue, though I should clarify; I have an informant who gives me information, from a source they have within the group. Getting information can be tricky at times. It has to change hands so many times before it gets to me.”
“So there are moles on both sides? Who? I need names!” Silver shouted.
“Calm down, I assure you they’re no one of consequence. But if you believe anything I say today, know that they can be trusted.”
“Why?” Silver asked.
“Because I trust them.”
Silver took a deep breath and began going over the things he’d been told.
“So what, you’re just using your ability to help us as an excuse for your freedom?”
“You could say that,” Giovanni said.
“Why not turn yourself in and help us from the inside?”
“Because I work better when I’m not tied down by all those rules and regulations,” Giovanni said. He laughed, “It’s quite liberating.”
“I’m still going to try. Jallen, this time—”
“Silver, please, you already have tried. I’d rather not add ‘beating my own son in an unfair fight’ to my conscience.”
“Shut up!” Silver yelled.
“Face the facts!” Giovanni said, his voice rising in volume. “You stand no chance of beating me. Don’t let your anger get your Pokémon hurt in an unnecessary battle!”
Silver almost called Jallen to attack, but stopped himself. Both of his assaults were stopped, and his father’s Garchomp hardly looked fazed by any of them. Silver thought to his other Pokémon, but none would be able to move around in such a small space. He wasn’t going to give up, not when he came so close, not when he finally found his father. But everything seemed to be working outside of his favor.
“What,” Silver finally said, “would you have me do? You haven’t really told me anything about what these people are trying to do.”
“I’ll find ways to contact you with any more information I find,” Giovanni said. “In the meantime, learn what you can about the Shrine of Ilex Forest. The legend revolving around that forest and its guardian is what my plan was going to involve.”
“And the Orb?”
“Like I said, back up. Best not put all my cards out on the table at once, hmm?” He smiled, holding his son’s gaze for a moment.
“Any names I should look into,” Silver said, “or watch my back because of?”
“I have a list, but none are more likely than any others. I’ll let you know, Silver.”
Silver stood, fists clenched. He couldn’t think of any other way to somehow get the upper hand. He had gotten everything out of his father that he could.
“Can I trust you?”
“It would make things easier,” Giovanni said, “but I don’t think either of us expect that’ll happen.”
They stood in silence for a moment longer, both waiting for the other to say something more.
“I’ll get stronger,” Silver finally said. “And I’ll bring you to justice on my own one day. But until then,” he turned around, facing the roaring waterfall. “And if you’re lying, I’ll find you again.”
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t,” Giovanni said. “And thank you. I can’t do this on my own, no matter how much you might think it. I’m not asking for your help, I need it.”
“Just be ready when the day comes when you have to fight me,” Silver said, still looking out at the running water.
“I’m looking forward to it, son.”
Noticing the stone walkway, Silver stepped outside of the hideout and walked along it, his Weavile lingering a moment to give a glare and bare his teeth at Giovanni’s Garchomp. Once he was finally alone, Giovanni finally let himself relax.
“Very well done,” said a man’s voice. “He sure is his father’s son.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you were dropping by,” Giovanni said, turning around to face his new guest, who was standing at the mouth of his exit tunnel. I would have, if I had peeked. Oh well, can’t change that now.
“Thought I’d listen to it live,” he said, stepping into the cave. His cape billowed behind him as he went up to the large, blue dragon. Instantly recognizing the human, the Garchomp gave a low, rumbling growl. The visitor placed a hand on the dragon’s snout, a gesture of affection, “Good to see you again, Sazrah.”
“So,” Giovanni said, “I take it from your warm disposition that you think that’ll suffice then, Mr. Champion?”
Lance nodded, “He’ll help. He might not like it, but he will. If only to see it as way to get up to your level. But as it stands, we now have one more for our cause.” The Dragon Master smiled, “The more, the merrier, as they say.”
—————
Oh my god, I’m an idiot.
After the fifteenth time Allan Relmstead had gone over his “list of things to NOT forget”, Allan finally placed why he felt like he had forgotten something. The realization came a few seconds after he glanced at his wrist to check the time. Something seemed to be staring him in the face, almost screaming at him to notice. Then he did. His old, outdated model PokéGear was still securely strapped to his arm.
His bravado had gotten the best of him. He had gotten sidetracked while on the way to replace it, and even though he knew the alternative, a small part of him wished he hadn’t bothered with saving a pretty girl that afternoon.
“Um, Allan?”
Of course he would forget perhaps one of the more crucial items that he needed. Since he hadn’t planned on leaving town without it, he didn’t even think of packing a separate map. He was walking blind with only a guess as to where he was headed. Of course he would be days away from any town or city when he remembered it. Turning around would be too much trouble at this point, even if he could find his way back on his own.
“Does he do this often, Umari?” Alice asked.
‘Yup. Just give him a minute.’
Allan’s concentration was broken as his Eevee’s mental voice rang through is head. He looked up from his arm at the blond girl holding his Pokémon in her arms. They were standing a few paces ahead him. He hadn’t even noticed he’d stopped walking.
“I’m sorry, what were you saying?”
“I just asked you the time,” Alice said.
“Oh, and it’s almost two-thirty,” said Allan.
“Is everything alright?”
“Don’t worry about it,” he assured her. “I just get caught up in my own head sometimes.”
“Because you’re a psychic?” she asked.
Allan shook his head, “Not this time. Something just caught me, and I got wrapped up in things.”
Umari wriggled out of Alice’s arms and landed beside her trainer. ‘You sure you’re okay? You only get like that when it’s something serious.’
‘Don’t worry about it, alright? It’s nothing,’ Allan sent back over their mental bond.
‘Fine…’
Three days had passed since Allan stumbled upon Alice Wingborne with his mind and came to her rescue. Their travel time had been severely cut short due to rain on their first day out, but Allan couldn’t help but think he’d be making better time without his newest companion. She may have been four years older than him, but she severely lacked in confidence. Most of the other trainers they came upon chose to battle her, thinking she the easier target; and they were right. She froze up in most situations, anxiously looking to Allan for advice. He could clearly see why healing, and not fighting, was her strong suit. Each time she did, Allan questioned the logic of why she accepted the battles at all.
Something else Allan couldn’t help but pick up on was that Alice was much more open with her flirting now than she had been when they first met. Not that he didn’t appreciate the interest, but she just would not relent in her advances, or take notice of his indifference to them. When they weren’t battling or asleep, she almost constantly had Allan in the middle of a conversation. She had questioned his childhood, family, history of girlfriends—she was particularly interested in this topic—and absolutely adored Umari. She often held her and gave her compliments on her cuteness or manners.
Allan suspected that she has been trying to grab his hand while they sat and ate a few times, but he wasn’t sure. He did wake up to find her sleeping closer to him in the mornings though.
“Heeeey, Allan?” Alice asked.
“Hmm?”
His attention was at his Eevee now walking beside him. When Alice didn’t respond immediately, he looked over to her. She was looking up at the trees and taking slow, relaxed steps. She held her arms down behind her back, hands cupped around each other.
“Yeah?” he said, louder.
“In Hoenn, we have these Pokémon called ‘Gardevoir’. Do you know them?”
“Of course I know them. I am trying to be a Psychic Master, you know,” he said. He debated to himself whether she actually thought he might not know of them, or if she was just drawing out the conversation for her own purposes. His mind went to a certain association that people had regarding that species of Pokémon, but he couldn’t imagine she was asking about that particular subject. He hoped not, at least.
“Why?” Allan asked.
“They say… that they can see into the future.” She looked back down at him, “Can you?”
“Sorry, no,” he said, though a bit relieved where the topic ended up going. “All I have is telepathy, which is reading other people’s minds, or communicating ideas and thoughts over a mental link. It’s all just data that my mind can perceive and understand.” If there was any topic he could go on about, it was psychic abilities, and the differences between them.
“What Gardevoir have is foresight, or future-sight,” Allan continued. “There’s way too much theory behind the ability in general, but a few Pokémon are known to have it.” He pulled off Xutan’s Poké Ball for effect, “The Xatu family are one of them. Their left eye has postcognitive sight, and their right has precognitive.”
“Huh?”
Allan sighed, “Their left eye sees the past and their right sees the future.”
“Oh!” Alice said. “That’s really cool.” Alice followed Allan’s hand as he replaced his Poké Ball on his belt, eyes lingering elsewhere before noticing Allan giving her a look.
“Yeah… well, some humans, with enough training, have experienced some clairvoyant abilities. Morty—the Gym Leader of Ecruteak—is one of them. But his abilities come from Ghost types; I don’t understand them at all.”
Alice nodded her head. “So, do you know Morty?”
“I’ve met him a few times, why?”
“Just wondering. Winona—the Gym Leader of Fortree—and I were really good friends back home,” she said.
“Let me guess, she gave you your Tropius?” Allan asked.
“Hey!” Alice stopped walking. She shot a hurt look at Allan, “I told you—”
“I didn’t!” Allan quickly interjected. “It was just a guess.”
“Oh…” she said. “Sorry, I just— I just can’t get over you and how you can read people’s minds.”
“That’s alright,” Allan said. He motioned down the path and they began walking again. “So, was I right?”
“Yep!” Alice’s anger all but disappeared instantly. “He’s a great flier and has support capabilities too. Lots of Grass types do, actually. Oh, that’s right. You have an Exeggcute, don’t you? Can I meet him?”
“Yeah, but he’s not exactly travel worthy, and we really should get going—”
“Oh, I just want to see him.” Alice clapped her hands together and have her most convincing puppy-dog eyes, “Please?”
Allan sighed, “Alright.”
Reaching behind his back, Allan felt for the Safari Ball on his belt. Duncan had been his newest Pokémon, and by far the hardest to relate to mentally. Multiple, separate consciouses that were linked and working in sync with one another didn’t exactly make it easy to understand when Allan first tried communicating with the bundle of sentient eggs. Thankfully after Xutan relayed a few tricks to their new teammate, Duncan soon fell into recognizable mannerisms and speech patterns.
Allan hoped for the best and tapped the activator button on the Safari Ball. Light poured out as the sphere split in half, pooling on the ground. It condensed into six, pink, egg-shaped seeds.
“Duncan,” said Allan, pointing to Alice, “there’s someone here who would like to meet you.”
In unison, but not coordinated in any manor, all of Duncan’s heads rolled over and turned to look at the human now looking down at his collective body. A few moments passed in silence, broken by a surprised gasp from Alice as Duncan’s individual bodies hopped on top of one another, leveling out just above the girl’s full height. They leaned forward, staying together with their mental energies, glaring at her.
‘New girl?’ The top egg said, as an observation rather than a question.
‘Obviously,’ the third one down replied. ‘But who is she?’
‘And who’s she to want to meet us? No one’s ever done that before,’ another said.
‘Maybe she likes round, pink psychic-plants who can talk to humans?’
‘Shut up, you idiot. No one is that specific.’
“Guys!” Allan said.
‘What?’ the six heads said at once, turning to him.
“You’re freaking her out.” He gestured to the now shaking girl on the dirt path, holding her head in her hands. He then added mentally, ‘Good work.’
“They… he…” Alice was struggling to make a single thought out into words. She looked up to Allan, “So many voices at once… How do you handle it?”
He bent down and grabbed Alice’s hand, “Lots of practice. Trust me, he’s been worse.”
“I can’t imagine…” she said, still looking around in a daze.
The collective that was Duncan toppled down from their totem pole construct and regrouped on the ground. One of Duncan’s linked heads turned on the ground, pointing up at the sky. Soon after the rest followed suit.
‘Do we all smell that?’
‘Of course we do. It’d be too hard not to notice.’
‘But shouldn’t it go the other way though?’
‘Duh, that’s why we noticed it in the first place. Something’s wrong.’
“What’s the matter, Duncan?” Allan asked.
‘Look up, right behind you two.’
Allan and Alice both turned around, looking up at the impressive cloud formation that was behind them. Wind had picked up and was carrying the dark clouds closer towards them at an alarming pace. Something odd stuck out however; the clouds weren’t moving with the wind. The two were going in different directions. Even as he noticed it, the wind started blowing from another direction, even harder.
“That’s weird,” said Allan.
“Must be some strong crosswinds up there,” Alice said. At Allan’s confused look she added, “Winona taught me a lot about flying. You gotta know this stuff.”
‘Oh that’s right, the Two-Legs can’t smell it.’
‘Someone should let them know.’
Allan turned back around and looked down at his Pokémon, “What’s wrong?”
‘We can’t smell any more water in the air. A storm that size, you’d be able to feel a rise in the humidity. That’s not a normal thing up there, Master.’
“What do you mean ‘not normal’?”
‘Ask your lady friend, we don’t know.’
Allan looked back at the thunderhead now almost on top of them. The strange, opposite wind was picking up, sending dust and light debris into the air. Thunder rumbled ominously as the huge cloud rippled with brilliant light, sending arcs of lightning down to the earth in erratic angles. Rain still had yet to fall and if anything, the air felt almost uncomfortably dry. Flying Pokémon flew from their perches in the trees to escape the strikes of lightning. The phenomenon above him sparked a memory of an old legend—or part of one—he had been brought up on. One of the old stories the sages would say.
“If you find yourself in the path of a storm that defies the winds, then you must not relent, wither, or back away. The Herald of Storms may test those he finds on strength and will, and pass judgment.”
The sky above them was completely dark now. The wind whipped around at high speeds, howling through the forest.
“Alice,” Allan yelled, recalling his Exeggcute, “stand beside me!” He knelt down and focused on Umari’s mind, ‘You come here too, Umari.’
His Eevee crawled into his arms without question, sensing the urgency in his message. She tried asking him was going on, but her trainer’s mind was now on the sky above.
Alice came to his side, “What’re you doing?” she yelled over the wind and thunder. “We need to find shelter before the rain hits!”
“There won’t be any rain, this isn’t—”
Allan was cut off by the brightest flash of light any of them had ever seen. He and Alice had to close their eyes for fear of being blinded. A huge lightning bolt broke free from the clouds above them and crashed into the ground, ignoring the much taller trees that flanked the road. Alice screamed, but the thunderclap drowned her out. Dirt and gravel shot outward from where the strike landed, stinging the exposed bits of flesh of the two humans present; Umari was effectively shielded by Allan’s arms.
‘Allan! What’s happening?’ Umari cried out with her mind.
‘Just be brave, Umari. Please.’ When he dared open his eyes, Allan was none too relieved to see a new Pokémon had appeared where the lightning struck.
It had sharp, curved fangs, a white and yellow coat of fur with jagged black pattern and a stormy mane billowed off its shoulders, flowing down its back like the clouds above. Four pointed crest on its feline face, whose eyes stared unblinking back into Allan’s own. The large—just taller than him—Thunder Pokémon, Raikou, growled at them all as electricity rippled over its body, discharging in random directions.
“I don’t exactly know what’s going to happen now,” he said, glancing at Alice. She was white as a sheet, visibly shaking on unsteady legs. She was looking at him with pleading eyes. “Just don’t run. You’ll insult him.”
All Alice could manage was give the smallest nod and look back at the Pokémon now walking slowly towards her.
Despite Allan’s advice, she shrunk back a bit when the Legendary Pokémon came up to her. She tried straightening up before it, but she cringed under its heavy gaze. Through her tears, she kept focusing on its fangs, its claws, the deadly bolts of electricity arcing off its mane and tail. She couldn’t look the terrible creature in the eye. How could Allan expect her to not back down from such a fierce predator?
Annoyed with the girl’s behavior, Raikou roared at her, breaking any remaining resolve she may have had, dropping to her knees. She covered her head with one of her arms—the other holding onto Allan’s hand for dear life—as she cowered before the large thunder tiger.
Allan heard Raikou give Alice a dismissive growl before the large Pokémon shifted its attention over to him. Unlike with Alice, the Thunder Pokémon circled Allan twice before stopping in front of him. Raikou’s height brought its head a few inches above his; Allan had to tilt his head slightly upward to look the creature in the eyes.
Raikou bent its neck down then to look at the small Eevee being held in Allan’s other arm. Umari tried her best to look tall and strong. Even after the Thunder Pokémon tried shattering her resolve like the human girl’s, she did not flinch, she did not cower into her trainer’s arms. The silver Eevee defiantly growled back. This seemed to satisfy and even amuse the legendary creature, a rumble that could almost resemble laugher emanated from the beast’s throat.
It looked back at Allan, roaring like it had at Alice; Allan did not flinch. Raikou sent more bolts of lightning down from the sky, letting them crash into trees around them. Allan stared back into the tiger’s red eyes.
Alice looked up in terror from her position on the ground, gripping Allan’s hand even harder.
A few moments of nothing followed, the only sound being thunder rumbling off in the sky above them.
Without warning, the legendary beast of lightning leapt into the air, jumping right over Allan. When it touched down again, it took off into a sprint behind the two. They could hear the sound of Raikou’s feet as they ran on the road. The dark clouds above them started moving again, following the beast to the south. The sun began to break through the dark cover, bringing light back to the forested path.
Just as Allan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he was knocked to the ground as Alice flung herself up at him. She held him tight around his stomach, pressing her head into his chest. She was still crying, but this time they were uncontrollable tears of joy. Umari struggled to get out from where she was pinned between them, flopping down onto the ground awkwardly.
“Oh Allan,” she sobbed, almost laughing. “I can’t believe you. You just stood there—and Umari growled back at it!—and we’re okay! I thought—”
“Hey, hey, it’s alright.” Allan propped an arm behind him, sitting up off the ground. “He was never going to hurt us, Alice. Well, if we ran, maybe.”
“B—But what was that thing? I haven’t seen anything like it since I came to Johto.”
“That,” Allan said, “was Raikou. One of the three Legendary Beasts of Ecruteak City. The story says, many years ago there was the Brass Tower, where Lugia used to roost before it fled to the seas. Lightning struck it one day, causing a great fire. Three Pokémon died in the fire before the rain finally extinguished it. Ho-Oh, the other mystical bird of Ecruteak, granted these Pokémon new life—who we now know as Entei, Suicune, and our friend Raikou.
“I was brought up on the stories. They say that the three roam the land, watching over the people of Johto. Sometimes, they’ll appear before people and test their mettle.”
“Why?” Alice asked.
Allan shrugged, “I don’t know. The old monks have a story and riddle for everything in this world. I’m just glad this one turned out to have some truth in it.”
—————
“Are you suuuure you can’t stay with me?” Alice asked, the desperation in her voice clear.
“Sorry,” said Allan. They were now standing at a fork in the road; Route 36 split into two opposite directions. Allan still had no idea where he was going. The forest path had a few twists and turns leading to this point, wreaking havoc on his sense of direction. He couldn’t remember on the maps he had seen which direction Violet City was in relation to this point. He had a fifty-fifty shot, and one of them made him continue on his journey with Alice. He already knew his decision.
“You’re not going my way,” he said. “I’ve got my own schedule to keep, like you do.”
Alice’s mood obviously fell when she could think of no other way to prolong her time with him. Both of her hands grasped the shoulder straps of her backpack and she stood staring at the left-hand path as if it were some dreadful thing she wished she could run away from. She sighed and shook her head, then turned back to face Allan.
“Thank you again for saving me back in Ecruteak. And for scaring off that Raikuu,” she said with an honest smile.
It took a great deal of effort for Allan not to correct her pronunciation.
“I really hope we see each other again,” she continued. “And I think you’re really great… and… well…”
Alice leaned forward, placing her hands on Allan’s shoulders, and kissed him. She quickly pulled back before it hand a chance to linger, grinning as she took a few steps back.
“Take care, Allan,” she said as she started down her path. “You were really cool! Bye!”
Few things have left Allan with the sensation of pure surprise ever since he gained his psychic abilities and understanding of how people think. That was one of them. Alice actually making a bold move in any sort of manner was at the bottom of his list of things he’d see today. His hands were slightly raised, he had reflexively prepared to catch her after today’s past events. But all he could do now was hold the pose comically as he watched the girl with long blond hair walk down the road ahead of him.
Once Umari snapped him out of his own head again, Allan started walking down the right pathway.
Initially, Allan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the road ahead become nicer and almost paved. Road lights began dotting the sides of the path for when night fell, and more and more people were passing him on the way. He declined as many battles as he was able, picking up his pace and wanting to get into the city before the evening. The path again split off into two directions, leaving Allan nervous. He didn’t remember the path to Violet City being so complicated. It always seemed pretty straightforward when he looked at it on a map, but he chalked up any errors up to him running off an old memory.
Time ticked on and the sun started its descent towards the horizon. The path he had chosen wound out of what could be called a “road” steadily until he was just moving between trees. Umari could pick up on his nervousness and fear; it was practically screaming over their mental bond. The longer he was in the thicket, the shorter his temper was on every single obstacle; he’d swipe angrily at a low-lying branch and kick at the tall grass.
The sky above was turning pink, with hints of orange taking over minute by minute. He needed to be out of these trees before nightfall. He had no idea where he was and he couldn’t even begin to guess what wild Pokémon would be out when the sun fell.
Good graces fell just then, a break in the tree line could be seen in the distance; a large expanse without trees for a sizable distance. Hoping to finally get some bearings on where he might be, Allan broke off into as much of a run as the cluttered woodlands would allow. He finally burst free into the clearing. Nothing was ahead of him. The field before him held nothing but grass, and a small pond. Off in the distance was a road. Allan followed one of its directions, almost wishing he didn’t see the high buildings in the distance.
“But… that’s…” Allan dropped to his knees, letting his bags and gear fall to the ground around him. He slumped backwards a ways, his arms dangling just above the grass. “Goldenrod City?”
‘Allan? Allan what’s wrong?’ Umari stood up on his knees, looking up at him.
“I… We went the wrong way, Umari. Look,” he pointed off to the distance. “That’s Goldenrod City.”
‘I thought you knew the way! How’d this happen?’
Allan sighed. “Because when we took the time to go help Alice back home, I ended up forgetting to pick up a new PokéGear,” he held up his wrist. “We don’t have a map. So… I guessed. I’m such an idiot… I’m sorry—”
Umari rammed her head into his stomach, knocking him over onto his back. When Allan tried to make a protest Umari just put her paw over his mouth.
‘Allan, it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. We’re fine, aren’t we?’
‘But…’ Allan said mentally. ‘I messed up. I let my pride and my own sense of worth get in the way and made us lose a lot of time.’
‘So? We have time, don’t we?’
‘Yes, but I could have asked Alice how to get there. I didn’t.’
‘And even I could tell you were screaming to get away from her after the first day,’ Umari said, sending a mental laugh along with it. She removed her paw and let him sit back up, jumping to the ground beside him. ‘I still can’t believe she just kissed you and ran off!’
“Yeah,” Allan said, chuckling. “I can’t believe that girl…” Allan sighed and closed his eyes. Even though he’d made a colossal mistake starting out on his journey, Umari didn’t even blame him. She was just glad they were alright. Says the little Eevee who growled in the face of the Beast of Thunder…
‘Oooh,’ came Umari’s mental voice. ‘Pretty sunset at least.’
Allan opened his eyes but needed to squint almost immediately. The clouds had moved out of the way, letting the rays from the sun to pour down from the sky. The evening sun reflected off the small pond in front of them, bathing them in bright light. Allan looked down to his left, noticing a strange glittering in his vision. Umari sat there, staring off into the distance. The sunlight was shining in such a way that bathed the area in a bright, orange light, leaving Umari’s normally silver fur to sparkle a bright golden hue.
“Yeah… pretty,” Allan said. “You know, that color suits you Umari.”
Confused, Umari looked down at her own fur. He eyes widened with a mild surprise at the change.
‘It’s nice,’ she said. ‘But Espeon aren’t gold-furred when they’re shiny. You said they were green.’
Allan laughed, “You’re right. How could I forget?” He reached down and pet his shiny Eevee on her head.
“Espeon aren’t gold.”
—————
[Cartographer Log: 4/9/00]
[Cartographer ID: A. J. Wingborne (79053)]
[“Professor, I wish you would have told me your region had Legendary Pokémon just wandering around! Allan and I ran across—or maybe it the other way around—Raikuu today. It just showed up out of a thunder cloud and scared us. Well, scared me. Allan wasn’t that scared. It just ran away after that though. I think I’m going to really look at this Pokédex thing to see what other beasts and things roam the countryside around here.
“Oh right, stuff. Okay. While Allan and I were walking, we were mostly just on Route 36 before we had to stop. I think he’s headed to Goldenrod for some reason. He didn’t say. I miss him already… I wish he’d stayed—
“Sorry! Down to business! Okay… I did see a lot of Ledyba, but not as many Pidgey as the old reports say. I didn’t see any Growlithe or Stantler either. Lots of Spearow though. Allan said he saw a Nidorino, but it ran before I got a chance to see it.
“Oh yeah, rare things. I saw a few Plusle and Minun around the closer I got to the city. I instantly recognized the buzz in the air that their electricity makes. Comes with growing up in Hoenn and knowing what Pokémon might actually shock you if you get too close. That’s about it though.
“Well, I guess that’s everything. I’m going to be staying in Violet City for a while and see if I can’t meet up with that new guy.
“Bye-bye!”]
—————
[Priority Message: 4/9/00]
[ProfElm: to Cartographer ID: A. J. Wingborne (79053)]
[Please, as I have to sit through these audio recordings, please limit the time you spend updating me on your dating life (Though Elise is pulling for you, she’s been helping with organizing some of the data). I hope things go swimmingly, and I appreciate you’d want to share some updates, but that’s what a diary is for. You have a job to do.]
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To Be Continued…
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- 13
- 14
- 15
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The Dark Type