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| Something Wicked This Way Comes; Dakota meets someone as stubborn as she is... | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 18 2012, 07:28 PM (486 Views) | |
| Krypt | Aug 18 2012, 07:28 PM Post #1 |
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Dakota didn't want to admit it, but after her fourth time past the same rock she finally had to. She was lost. Not just a little lost, no, she was grade A, 'My bones will never be found,' spirit-crushingly lost. Look on the bright side, she thought bitterly, No one'll be stupid enough to follow you out here. The thought that no one would be able to get to her this far away from everywhere cheered her up just enough that she was able to notice a glimmer in the snow that surrounded her. She shook her head to dislodge her hood and strode forward. As far as she was concerned, she knew exactly where she was; somewhere in the barren expanse between Virida and Starling, with Mt. Stella off somewhere to her left. She picked her way through the snow towards the object with grim hopes of food. Dakota's naturally glum expression deepened into a full-on frown when she saw what it actually was. Lying peacefully without a care in the world before her was a pokeball nestled in the frozen ground. Wit a snort of disgust she gave it a hard kick. The pokeball popped open, revealing the whirring electronics inside. A ray of harsh sunlight struck the pokeball again, glancing off of the inside and hitting Dakota square in the face. The sudden light threw her off balance, forcing her to take a step back. Unfortunately, the snow slipped out from under her feet and she dropped to the ground. The snow welcomed her body with open arms. Dakota didn't share it's feelings. "Son of a beedrill!" she exclaimed as the freezing snow found it's way under her cloak and along her back. She lay there for half a moment to catch her breath before bunching up her muscles and bounding to her feet. She glared at the pokeball before seizing it grumpily. Like it or not, a reflective surface that good shouldn't go to waste in case she had to signal someone. With practiced hands she shrunk the empty pokeball and stuffed it into one of her cloak pockets. When Dakota looked up, she was surprised to see a figure on the horizon headed her way. She squinted her eyes, trying to make out the only other form of life she'd seen midst the snow and ice. With a frustrated sigh she accepted that until the distance between them shortened, all she was going to know was that whoever it was seemed to like the color orange. Dakota brushed the snow off of her back and cloak as best she could before heading in the direction of the mysterious figure. Why did these things always happen to him? He'd been asleep, and happily so, when he'd felt the change. So now he had to leave his cozy nap and go inform anyone in the area. He didn't mind really, it did feel good to run after having been asleep for so long. The conditions could have been better though; if he was right there would be snow starting any moment now, and Arceus only knew exactly how much time he'd have to do his job once it hit. He should have paid attention the other day when reports of rogue froslass were reported to be settling too close to the tribe of blaziken on the top of the mountain. If the two met on bad terms then his problems would grow ten-fold, at least.His paws carried him around a sharp bend to a crest where he knew a few sneasels liked to hang out. He forced his head in the opening and called out loudly, <Anyone here? If you can hear me you have to leave the area right away!> A freshly evolved weavile sauntered out from the darkness at the back of the hollow area. He could always tell when they'd just evolved, they smelled different, a mixture as their bodies reconfigured themselves. He suppressed a shudder at the thought as the weavile sneered at him, <And why would we want to do that?> she challenged. He opened his mouth to address her question as three sneasels came to stand behind their new leader, each bearing recent battle scars. <You want to leave,> he told her calmly, <because if you don't you will be dead before the day is out. And I'm not going to lose any sleep over it if you're too full of yourselves to listen to me.> With those harsh party words, he pulled out of the snow crest, hoping that for once the pack would listen to him about something. Letting out a sigh, he fired up his muscles for the rest of the danger zone. I'd better pick up the pace, he told himself. A rumbling noise in the not-so-far distance forced him to amend his thought, [/i]And fast.[/i] Grim determination in mind, he raced onward. It was a delibird. No wonder all she'd been able to see had been orange. Dakota stopped short as the pokemon approached her. Out of habit she began to run over what she knew about delibirds in her head, An ice and flying type, carries food in it's rolled up tail, tends to share with people lost in the... Dakota stopped herself, anger showing on her face as she screamed at the bird waddling towards her, "I'm not lost! And I don't want your charity!" The word 'charity', however; was lost to the winds as her stomach growled over her. The delibird ignored her protests and finished closing the distance between them. Dakota watched, dumbfounded, at the pokemon's stubbornness as it unrolled it's tail. Out rolled an assortment of berries. Dakota's frown grew, but before she could tell the delibird to take a hike, her stomach let out an awful rumbling noise. An answering rumble echoed around them. The delibird looked around, startled. Dakota saw it's eyes widen as they fell on a spot somewhere behind her. She whipped around, only to find nothing but snow. "Deli! Delibird!" the pokemon squawked. Dakota spun back to face it. It had rolled up all but a big, plumb oran berry back in it's tail and was hopping up and down madly, wings flailing. "Bird! Delibird!" Dakota had had enough of the bird's annoying company. She let herself fall into a fighter's crouch, making the delibird stop it's screeching in confusion. "That's right birdbrain," she taunted, "If you stick around any longer I'mm gonna plaster your face in the snow." The teen rolled her powerful shoulders, delightful violence dancing in her blue eyes. "So I suggest," she cooed in a too-sweet tone, "that you stop flapping around and either fight, or run like the coward you are!" To add emphasis to her threat, Dakota slammed her left fist into her right palm. The delibird gave her what looked like a sad gaze, shook it's head slowly, and turned to leave. Dakota watched until it had waddled far enough away for her liking before straightening up. Her eyes fell on the chilled oran berry lying forgotten on the ground. She picked it up, wishing she didn't have to, and demolished it with quick, tactical bites. Her stomach satisfied, Dakota threw the inedible parts of the oran berry over her shoulder. Waste not, want not, she justified to herself. She continued onward, her footsteps obscured by the fresh snow that had begun to fall. The snow had started. He was running out of time. He ran over the list in his mind as he ran; sneasels, snover, froslass, delibird, lupunny. That was everyone wasn't it? The blaziken were out of the danger area so he didn't need to worry about them. At least, he didn't think he needed to worry about them. For the millionth time he wished that the job had come with instructions past the cryptic couplets that he'd uncovered. A nagging sensation ate away at the back of his mind, and he pushed if forward. He paused abruptly in his race against time. The human who the delibird had been talking to. She'll be fine, he assured himself silently. Without thinking about it he addressed the landscape, <After all, it's not like she was talking to that weavile. The delibird will make sure to get her to safety.> He shook off the snow that had collected and continued on his way. <And she looked like a trainer, she'll know better than to ignore native pokemon.> As his pace increased, he was forced to transition his monologue back to his mind, But then why wouldn't she have any of her pokemon out to help her? His footsteps faltered as he contemplated the repercussions of failing to warn her personally. If she died out here people would blame him, and that was publicity he didn't need. He enjoyed being left along thank you very much. He had enough trouble when trainers came trampling through trying to get at other pokemon, and that was when they didn't know about some of the more interesting pokemon that occasionally passed through for reasons of their own. With a frustrated huff, he pulled a sharp u-turn and headed back to where he'd last seen the human and the delibird. The snow had gotten worse. Dakota could barely make out what was in front of her, let alone any landmarks she might be passing. She shivered under her cloak as the snow found it's way inside. Slitting her eyes, she peered ahead for any sign of shelter. Between the violently swirling flakes she made out a dark speck almost out of visible rage. Hoping for a way out of the worsening storm, Dakota struggled towards it. By the time she'd reached the speck she'd made out the entrance to a dark cave. Dakota paused at the opening, weighing her options. I can take whatever this thing'll throw at me, she mentally congratulated herself. With a confident smirk, Dakota stepped into the cave. It wasn't as dark as she had expected, at least, not after she'd let her eyes adjust. The very rocks that littered the cave floor seemed to glow a brilliant snow white. The earth gave another rumble, this time without the prompting of her stomach. Annoyed at the storm outside, Dakota plopped herself down on one of the larger white rocks. For a few moments she watched her breath as it misted in the air before her. "Probably going to die out here," she told herself nonchalantly, "Wonder what'll get me first? The cold or the starvation? Water's no problem with all this snow around. 'Pose it'll be the cold, haven't seen anything to make a fire with." Dakota bunched her cloak farther around her, flipping the hood up as she did so. The numerous pockets didn't hold much at the moment. She'd been too preoccupied with getting away to worry about filling her cloak with anything that would have proven useful in this environment. Wondering, Dakota inspected what she did have in her pockets. Her phone, dead as always; her ID, wouldn't be flashing that anytime soon; some cast, at least she had that much going for her; her top-of-the-line Swiss army knife, well things were getting more beneficial by the pocket; and the pokeball she'd found in the snow, never mind about useful. Dakota stuffed everything back in her cloak and rose from the rock. She peeked at the cave entrance, still hailing harder than an articuno's blizzard. Dakota returned to the cave and begun pacing back and forth across the cave. She needed a strategy, something other than just keep walking until she hit the end of the snow. For a fleeting moment she wished she hadn't let that delibird escape her; it could have probably guided her out of here in no time. She pushed the thought aside aggressively, she didn't need some pokemon to tell her where to go! She'd find it as soon as the storm blew over. Until then there was nothing to do except wait. Dakota felt her way along the cave wall until she was far enough back that the air was a touch warmer. Checking the immediate area, she sat down against the wall huddled in her cloak and allowed her eyelids to close for a quick nap. He couldn't see squat. At this rate he'd hit a mamoswine or a mountain and not be able to see the difference. He'd backtracked to where he'd seen the delibird and the human. Neither had still been there. From the partially obscured tracks he'd managed to figure out that they'd gone separate ways. And the girl was heading straight into the heart of the danger zone. He blew snow off his nose in frustration. He couldn't go keep watch for the danger to pass until he'd made sure everyone was safe. Arceus humans could be tiresome. They never seemed to know their place. He cast a glance at the ground, not surprised to find that the tracks were entirely obscured by the falling snow. That only made his job harder. Hopefully this human liked straight lines as much as linoones did. He set his shoulders against the ferocious barrage of snow and forged ahead. Another rumble brought him to a halt. He swiveled his head, trying to pinpoint how much time he had left. An unhappy roar interrupted his searching. He jumped and spun in one motion so that when he landed he'd made a ninety degree turn to port. Through the gap in the snowflakes he made out the entrance to a cave. He squinted, something was moving in the cave opening, something big. With a sick feeling in his stomach, he charged forward. As he neared the cave the abomasnow reared up and roared again. He groaned, there was only one abomasnow spending the off season here, and it had to wake up NOW of all times. <Fred!> he shouted as he approached the cave, <Now is not a good time for a tantrum!> He skittered into the cave as Fred turned. He caught sight of a small figure asleep in the corner as the large pokemon turned. <B... But she sat on me!> Fred protested. The abomasnow stomped his foot for emphasis. The whole cave shook with the force. <With her BUTT!> The abomasnow's breathing was becoming increasingly ragged, and if he didn't do something fast, Fred was going to lose it. He wrinkled his nose as he was hit by ode de Fred. Seemed like the abomasnow hadn't woken up for awhile before now. Just his luck. <Fred you have to calm down!> he instructed from the cave mouth. He tentatively stepped farther into the cave. <It isn't safe right now. Something terrible is going to happen any moment now, and you freaking out isn't going to help,> he took another small step forwards stopping when he caught sight of Fred's leering gaze. <Fred,> he cautioned. Too late he saw the leaves aimed at him. The razor leaf hit him square in the face, leaving scratches crisscrossing his muzzle. He gave the abomasnow an answering leer before smiling at it. <Alright then Fred,> he began as he turned towards the entrance to the cave. <If it's a fight you want,> he made to leave, before spinning around and delivering a quick feint attack that sent the abomasnow reeling. <It's a fight you'll get!> He squared himself, waiting for the abomasnow to make another move. <You can't win this Fred!> he called out as the abomasnow got to it's feet. And now let's hope I'm right he muttered inwardly. The temporary lapse in concentration was enough for Fred to send him sprawling with a painful ice punch. He let out a grunt of pain and spit as he stood and faced the abomasnow on shaky legs. Pushing off from the cave wall he charged forward with quick attack. Fred was in the middle of a victory roar when the abomasnow felt the pokemon-shaped projectile hit him in the abdomen. Both poekmon eyed the other warily. "Just stop now Fred!" he insisted. The abomasnow just leered at him again, easily seeing the unsteadiness in the other pokemon's legs. Fred let out another roar, this time unleashing the force of his blizzard attack with it. The freezing temperatures buffered the air where he'd just been as he ducked under the attack and delivered a nasty scratch to Fred's side on his way past the large abomasnow. The abomasnow halted mid-attack and turned to face him. He saw another ice punch lined up and tensed his quivering muscles to dodge when a shout rang out. "Hey ugly!" A hefty rock sailed over his head and connected with thud against Fred's skill. The already battle weary abomasnow's eyes clouded over at the impact and Fred fell forward, unconscious. A large boom sounded through the cave as the abomasnow's massive body hit the ground. Breathing heavily, he turned towards the newcomer in the fight. Surprise showed on his face as he saw the human who he'd been tracking positioned in a fighter's stance, another rock poised to throw. Dakota gave the fallen abomasnow the once-over as the other pokemon turned. As it's red eyes connected with her blue ones she couldn't help but wonder to herself, What's an absol doing out here? They're supposed to live in the mountains, not the snow. Unless... She locked eyes with the absol before her, "You didn't come here to fight that abomasnow," she squinted her eyes suspiciously, "A disaster's about to happen isn't it?" The absol seemed to roll it's eyes before nodding. Dakota kept her eyes on the absol as she set down the rock in her hands. If it came to it, she wouldn't need the rock. Unafraid, she strode up to the absol with purpose and made to push past it. The absol mirrored her, preventing her from leaving the cave. Feeling her anger building, Dakota tried again, with the same result. She stepped back and crossed her arms. "Here's what's about to happen," she told the abosl as though it were a small child, "You're going to let me pass, and I'm not going to have to beat you senseless." She waited a moment to let the words sink in, "Understand?" "Absol," the pokemon responded. It centered itself in front of her resolutely. Dakota noticed the trembling in it's legs with an almost sick satisfaction. This would be easy. Nodded in defeat, Dakota turned back towards the inner portion of the cave before dropping to the ground and sweeping her leg under the absol's tired frame. The pokemon went down almost instantly. As the absol crashed to the floor, Dakota launched herself and rushed from the cave out into the worsening blizzard. Better, she figured, than waiting for that absol to regain it's strength. It's not gonna get me that easily! As the cocky thought crossed her mind she felt a tug on her right leg and glanced down. Her leg had sunk into the snow up to her knee and wouldn't move. With an audible grunt, Dakota tried to pull free. Glancing back to the cave, she could just make out the absol struggling to it's feet. She pulled again, nothing. The absol was now aimed directly at her with a rather poorly constructed pursuit attack. Must be inexperienced if it can't even pull off pursuit. She went back to trying to free herself. She'd worked her leg out so that everything above her shin showed before the absol plowed into her. Her ankle popped free, and both her and the pokemon hit the frozen earth. "What is your problem?" she shouted. The absol blinked at her in shock. Dakota heaved herself to her feet and trudged over to the still downed absol. "I'm going to rip off your head, tie it against your body using your intestines, and leave it here for migrating skarmory!" the absol backed away from her grabbing hands, eyes wide at her lust for violence. "And then," she continued, "I'm gonna..." A rumbling noise caused her to pause in her rant. Both Dakota and the absol looked towards the mountain. A wave of frothing snow was crashing down the mountainside towards them. "Oh," Dakota stated in a small voice against the roar, "That's what you were talking about." Dakota stood transfixed by nature's sheer power as the wintry death rushed at her. Then she felt a jolt under her and looked down. The absol had scooped her onto it's back and was racing from the avalanche in terror. "Hey!" Dakota protested, "Put me down!" The absol looked over it's shoulder and glared at her with disbelieving eyes before using them to gesture at the rapidly approaching avalanche. "Fine," Dakota conceded grumpily. The absol huffed at her and kept running. After a moment, Dakota turned her head to check the progress of the avalanche. The white wall of destruction was right behind them "Well if you're gonna run," she shouted over the thunderous roar at the absol, "RUN FASTER!" Dakota dug her heels into the absol's side. At the sudden pressure, the absol came to an abrupt halt, pitching Dakota head first into the snow. She raised her head to see the absol giving her a warning look. "Ya know wha..." was as far as she got before the avalanche was upon them. Dakota wasn't sure how long she spent tumbling through endless white. At some point she felt a tug on her cloak and saw the absol hanging on desperately with it's teeth. Instinct kicking in, she clutched at the disaster pokemon's horn. Up, down, left, right, none of it held any more meaning. Her skull was bludgeoned by snow so often that if she ever lived to be a hundred years old she swore that she'd never get rid of the ringing in her ears. Then, thankfully, her head cracked against something hard and she lost consciousness. He awoke in the dark. Focusing, he channeled the darkness into his horn until it lit up the surrounding with an eerie glow. A few feet away was the human, battered and bruised from the avalanche. The avalanche! Jumping up, he inspected their surroundings. They were in some sort of stone tunnel. A dollop of snow fell onto his nose and he glanced upwards. The ceiling had a large crack running across it, with the whole force of the avalanche threatening to pour in at any moment. Exhausted, he allowed himself to sit down and take a deep breath. After he'd stopped panting, he was able to make out a slow, rhythmic chanting coming from the left. He sighed, seemed like he wasn't done working yet. He rose, winced, and padded over to the girl. He leaned over and grabbed the end of her cloak in his mouth. With a heave, he dragged her along and the two of them made progress down the left-hand tunnel. Her eyes fluttered open as awareness came back to Dakota's body. The first thing she noticed, aside from a splitting headache and other pains racking her body, was the dragging sensation. Instantly alert, she slipped out of her cloak and rolled in the opposite direction, coming up crouched to face whatever had been dragging her. She let her shoulders relax when she saw it was only the absol. "Give me my cloak," she demanded. the absol spit it into her outstretched hand. Dakota frowned at the copious amount of saliva that accompanied her cloak, but decided to ignore it. She frowned, rotating her head as she inspected their new surroundings. "What now genius?" she sneered the absol. It inclined it's head towards the left and began walking. As her only light source headed off, Dakota had little choice but to follow. The pair headed down the tunnel in silence. Dakota kept noticing drawings of various pokemon on the walls. Most were familiar, but there were some here and there that she'd never seen before. Strings of a forgotten language lined the walls, giving off meaning lost to the ages. Her eyes were on a particular image of a large green pokemon perched atop a mountain when she met the rear end of the absol in front of her. "Why are we..." she began. Without a response the absol walked backwards, delicately stepping on Dakota's toes. "Ow!" she hissed, but the message was understood. Be silent. Dakota locked glares with the absol and nodded her head slowly. The disaster pokemon stepped forward, the light on it's horn fading as it went. In another few steps, Dakota could make out the reason for the caution. They had reached the end of the tunnel and were on a ledge overlooking a vast cavern. Orbs of mysterious light were littered around the circumference, flickering as they allowed viability in the cavern. As Dakota's eyes adjusted to the light she began to make out shapes on the cavern floor. Her eyes widened in disbelief; hundreds of snorunts had gathered around a bubbling, luminescent, icy blue pool. "What're they up to?" she whispered. The absol kicked her none to gently in the shin for her troubles. It cocked it's head towards the snorunts gathered below. It was then that their chanting reached her weaker human ears. "Runt, runt, snorunt! Runt, runt, snorunt! Runt, runt, snorunt!" The more the pokemon chanted, the more intense the color of the ooze in the pool became. It began bubbling more and more fiercely, until the deep ice blue liquid fizzed over the sides. Dakota glanced at the absol next to her. There was worry etched all over it's face. She turned back to the scene below as the first wave of the goop lapped against the starting line of snorunts. As the liquid touched the pokemon their chanting changed to unintelligible shrieking. Dakota covered her ears and the absol cowed at the bone-shattering sound. Dakota forced her eyes open in time to see the snorunt's bodies start to glow. Dakota watched, amazed, as in a massive wave the snorunts all began to glow and rise off the floor of the cavern as the liquid swept across it. The first line of glowing figures began to warp, followed shortly by the rest of the wave until Dakota was standing perched above a cavern full of hundreds of glalie. The chanting continued, this time the tone sounded even more monotonous and obedient. "Glalie. Glalie. Glalie. Glalie." Dakota shivered at the lack of emotion of any sort behind the chanting. There was just sheer mindlessness. "What just happened?" she wondered aloud in the smallest whisper she could muster. She looked over at the absol that was just pulling itself off the ground with a sick expression on it's face. Whatever was happening, the disaster pokemon understood it much better than Dakota did. She'd never heard of something like this before. A mass evolution? And triggered by some sort of ooze? Not entirely crazy, she reminded herself, Some pokemon evolve using stones, why not ooze? Still, whatever had just happened wasn't natural. She felt a tugging on her cloak. The absol was trying to yank her back into the tunnel. "Not before I figure out what that goop is!" she hissed at it. The absol's mouth dropped open, astonished that she didn't want to get out then and there. Dakota pulled her cloak out of the absol's mouth, shifting her weight as she did so. Too late she noticed the pebble she'd dislodged with her foot. "Of course," she sighed as the pebble clattered down the side of the cavern. Hundreds of glalie turned to stare at her. She glared at them, daring them to make the first move. The stench was overwhelming. So many changes, and not a single one natural. And the screams! His whole being just wanted to vomit away how wrong the whole episode was. Then there was this human who wanted to get closer to that blue stuff! No thank you! He liked the parts of his body just the way they were. Still, the tunnels technically fell under his protection, so he had to get to the bottom of the ooze one way or another. As the pebble fell to the floor he rolled his eyes and huffed again. This human was just too much trouble for her own good. He felt hundreds of glalie eyes upon him, making his pelt prickle. Yet, under the hostility, he could sense something else. A cry for help. Somewhere under the wrong that they were now a part of, these pokemon were still themselves, and they wanted out of the whole thing. With ya there, he sympathized. Then the voice. It was gentle as a breeze and harsh as a hurricane. It filled him with fear and longing all in one breath. He would do whatever it asked. <Kill them,> it instructed simply. |
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Bryan Dakota
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| Krypt | Aug 18 2012, 07:29 PM Post #2 |
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Maybe anything except that! he pulled himself away from the voice's tender embrace and cast a look down at the glalie. Their eyes had clouded over and taken on an eerie blue glow. He checked the human. She seemed fine. Means it's a pokemon, he figured, Otherwise, her eyes would go too. As the thought crossed his mind the girl grabbed his face and stared into his eyes, checking them suspiciously. Seemingly satisfied, she let him go. He shook to smooth out his fur and clamped her cloak in his teeth. Like it or not, they had to leave NOW. For once she didn't argue with him and turned swiftly back to the tunnel they'd come out of. The two of them tore through the tunnel, his horn lighting their way once again. "What was that?" she demanded. He didn't have the energy to keep running and try to respond at the same time, so he didn't answer. She kept going, "One minute they're looking angry, the next there's a weird caterwauling noise and their eyes go all funny!" Continuing to ignore the human's questions, he glanced behind them. His throat went dry with fear. Every single glalie from the cavern seemed to be behind them, and the ones in front were charging up what looked like ice beams. How did they learn that so quickly? he shouted in his mind, They just evolved! Did that voice or goop or whatever do something ELSE to them?! His concentration split, the disaster pokemon stumbled. He watched the ground approach rapidly before feeling a sudden force on his horn pulling him upright. Back on his feet, he marveled at the human running beside him as she returned her arm from his horn to her running position. Whether she showed it or not, she wasn't heartless. Not heartless. Hm... the thought gave him a blast of inspiration. He knew someone who might be able to help them. He smiled as a plan formed in his mind. If this didn't work, well, he'd left enough instructions to train a replacement. He dropped back, allowing the human to overtake him. She glanced back and he gave her a wink. She shrugged her shoulders and put on another burst of speed. They had made it back to the area where they'd first fallen into the tunnels. Looking up, he was thankful to see the avalanche still held up by the ceiling. He reached the center of the tunnel and stopped, turning to face the glalie. They piled into the tunnel, ice beams trained on the disaster pokemon's frame, ignoring the human who kept running through the tunnel. With a single monotonous <Glalie,> the pokemon unleashed their ice beams. He spun, and using quick attack dashed up the walls of the tunnel. The ice beams froze the entire roof of the tunnel in a seamless sheet. It was working. <Come on!> he taunted them. Unsure of what to say, he improvised. <I've seen... um... Humans with more powerful attacks! Is that the best you've got? Bet you that... uh... you couldn't headbutt a herdier!> he finished lamely. The glassy-eyed glalies just looked at him. A cough was heard from the back of the group. <What are you waiting for?> the voice returned. He shivered, struggling to resist. <KILL HIM!> The glalie launched themselves into action. Just the right action. They rushed him, thankfully going for a headbutt. Now that's lucky, he thought as he dodged attacks. Once again he raced up the side of the tunnel until he was passing the ceiling. At least ten glalie plastered themselves against the wall with scarily strong headbutt attacks behind him. An eleventh hit his hindquarters. He dropped, his body making a splatting noise on the tunnel floor. His vision swam as the glalie closed in on him. He tried to stand, but there was nothing for it. As they approached him he managed to look up at the cracked ice on the ceiling. Just one more hit would have sent it crashing down. A shrill whistle caught all of their attention. Every single pokemon looked over at the lone human standing in the far tunnel. Another trainer, only caring about a strong team, he accused. He glared at her, and at the pokeball that she was tossing in her hand. Wonder how long she's been standing there, waiting to see who's stronger? he contemplated bitterly. As expected, the human wound up and threw the pokeball with all her might, cloak buffering from the force of the throw. It missed. Not just him, the pokeball sailed over everything and smashed against the ice barrier. The ceiling of the tunnel finally gave, tons of snow pouring in and out. He felt a pressure on his horn as he was swept one way and the glalie another. The human shouted at him over the roar of sweeping snow, "You are a complete and utter idiot!" she screamed. "What would you have done if..." Then the snow swallowed them for the second time. Dakota was the first one awake this time around. The snow had finally run out of pressure, washing her and the absol out of the, now blocked, tunnel entrance on the mountainside. The absol was out cold. (No pun intended.) Dakota sneezed in the brisk mountain air. Then she sneezed again, and again. Eyes watering, Dakota looked around for the only thing that ever made her sneeze this much. Through her watering eyes, she was shocked to see a small cabin just a few hundred yards away, smoke drifting merrily out of the brick chimney. "Torchic?" a small chirp interrupted. She looked down at the down-covered pokemon, trying to stifle her running nose as the torchic walked closer. It's footsteps led back to the cabin. Dakota rolled her eyes in annoyance. It couldn't get easier now could it? Taking a handful of snow, she grabbed the torchic and smothered it in the cold, white material. "Torchic! Chic! Torchic!" the chick pokemon chirped in shock. Dakota threw the squirming chick away from her, thankful that at least now she could breathe. The torchic's eyes were aflame with rage. It opened it's mouth to deliver an attack when another voice rang out over the now calm expanse of snow. "Terry!" it called. Dakota squinted at a figure standing next to the cabin. "Bring our guests inside why don't you?" it shouted again. The figure disappeared into the cabin. Dakota eyed the torchic warily, acutely aware of the snot dripping down her upper lip. She gestured to the house, indicating the chick should go first. The torchic picked itself up indignantly and strode to the cabin, dignified walk ruined by it's inherent unsteady gait. Dakota's breathing calmed down as the torchic took it's down to the cabin and away from her. She crossed over to the absol and rudely slapped it's face until it woke up. "Get up," she told it, "There's a cabin and an extremely pissed off torchic ahead." To her surprise, the absol seemed to perk up at the news. It heaved itself up with obvious effort and without a second thought made it's way in the direction of the cabin. Feeling rather out of the loop, Dakota followed sourly. Her allergies were out of control by the time she'd entered the cabin. A roaring fire lit up the large front room. Stairs took up the wall behind the door and led to a loft bedroom. On a chute off the front room was a short hallway to what looked like some sort of mad scientist laboratory. It was out of this room that Dakota's host emerged. He was a tall, lanky, middle-aged man. His grey-streaked hair stuck up in points all over his head, thick goggles covered more than half of his face, and a scorched marked pair of insulated overalls hung off his skinny frame. She sneezed again as he shut the door to the back room. "No no no," he chided, "This will never do!" The man crossed to a kitchen area that was pressed against the back wall of the front room. Not separate, but not part of either. He rummaged in one of the lower cupboards before attempting to stand. A dull thud accompanied his head meeting the underside of his sink. "Blast it! Who in the name of Morbidark decided to leave that there?" The man emerged with a vial of fizzing orange liquid. He stared at her, and Dakota found herself captivated in his gaze. His left eye was a deep, royal purple, while his right eye was a vivid orange. "Well drink up! Drink up!" he instructed her. She stared at him some more. "Honestly why don't you people take me seriously, I'm trying to help you out here," he waggled the vial, causing the liquid to hiss, "I promise on my license that this beverage is entirely safe! And it will do wonders for your little problem there." Dakota felt her eyes begin to water again as the torchic hopped down the stairs and waltzed over. She opened her mouth to argue with the man, but before she could deliver a syllable he'd uncorked the vial and thrown the contents down her throat. Her mouth snapped closed in shock, and she was forced to swallow. The liquid burned on it's way down her throat, but once it was down her symptoms began clearing up. "Umhum," the man snickered like a small schoolchild., "I told you it would work. Why do they never believe me Terry?" he looked at the torchic as though expecting an answer. "Tor. Chic," the pokemon responded curtly. The man nodded, rubbing his stubble in thought. "You could be right there Terry. But how rude of me! I haven't introduced myself! My name is Bartholomew Alexandria Francis the third! Doctor, lawyer, private investigator, scientist, inventor! You name it little lady, I've done it!" Bartholomew let out a hearty laugh that shook the rafters, a significant feat for a man who looked like he'd have trouble lifting his own torchic. Dakota stood there gawking, her throat still in too much pain to speak. "Don't you worry there," he assured her as though reading her thoughts, "Nasty side effect, can't be helped. The effects should go away in about," he raised his wrist and looked at it. A fruitless endeavor considering he wasn't wearing a watch. "Oh, a few seconds." As Bartholomew finished speaking, Dakota felt her throat unclench. She spluttered and coughed, raising a hand to her neck to massage it. "What are you?" she managed in a raspy tone. She meant to add a 'doing here' after her question, but couldn't manage it. The man let out another laugh and crossed over to the fireplace. He picked up a remote from the mantle and pulled down a projection screen with his other hand. "Take a seat and find out!" he invited. Dakota watched his eyes dancing with delight. He depressed a button on the remote and a chair popped up under Dakota, knocking her legs out from under her. With a muffled thump, she landed in the chair. "Terry if you would?" the man motioned to his torchic. The chick pokemon chirped in agreement and pecked a light switch, plunging the room into darkness. An image appeared on the screen, and following the light trail, Dakota was able to see a projector mounted on the ceiling that had previously escaped her notice. The man began his presentation, "Bartholomew Alexandria Francis the third, born and raised," he paused and looked at his lone audience member. He cracked a crooked smile. "Let's skip the boring part, eh?" He pressed another button on his remote and straps crawled out from the arms of the chair, tying Dakota in. She struggled violently. "Do not struggle!" Bartholomew cautioned her, "That only makes them angry," he let out another laugh. The straps did indeed seem to get tighter the more Dakota struggled against them, until she couldn't feel her hands anymore in order to struggle. "Now hold on!" he shouted. Dakota was about to question him when with another button press and a whoosh her chair plummeted past the floor. She looked over to her left and saw him sprawled out on a couch, not a care in the world. To her right the torchic was riding a rocking chair into the depths. At last they stopped. Dakota fought to keep her stomach under control. "Here we are!" Bartholomew announced as with another button he lit up what could only have been miles of workshop space. "The nerve center of nostalgia, the hub of hullabaloo, the brain of brainstorming! Welcome," he flourished to the room, "To the Expanding Discovery Apartment!" He sidled up to Dakota and whispered in her ear, "I call her Eda!" At the sound of the acronym, the room seemed to come to life. "Barf is that you?" a feminine voice sounded through a speaker system. "Can you get your confounded absol out of the experimental explosions sector? He doesn't listen to me," the voice complained. Dakota felt Bartholomew's hand on her back as he guided her up to a camera. "Who is this?" Eda demanded, "Barf you know we talked about kidnapping. You promised you'd quit!" "Not to worry my electronic enchantment! This is merely a wandering passerby who looked in need of a night's rest and a good meal!" Dakota caught her breath as the camera extended on a limber electronic arm and inspected her from all angles. "Barf's her little nickname for me," Bartholomew explained while Eda inspected Dakota's cloak, "Quite like it actually, nice ring." "Fine she can stay," Eda finished. "As long as you get that absol back to the medical wing where it belongs!" Barf beamed, "Not to worry my wired worship! I shall have the chap back there posthaste!" Barf threw a smart salute at the camera and frog marched Dakota farther into the warehouse. As Eda had complained, Barf and Dakota found the absol in an area marked with an industrial sign that read, 'Explosives'. Another sign, obviously homemade, hung beside it reading, 'Have Fun!'. Dakota snuck another peek at her host, he was humming merrily to himself, perfectly okay that the disaster pokemon was pressing buttons in his explosive wing. Dakota retreated to her mind to plan her next move. Play my cards right, this nutcase might have a way out of this winter wasteland. She gave him another seizing up, I could take him if it goes that way, long as that damned torchic doesn't interfere. Dakota narrowed her eyes at the absol making it's way through the rows of equipment. No way was this the same absol that she'd been trampling over the snow with for the past who knows how long. It looked too trusting, too at ease, too at home. Again Barf seemed to know what was on her mind. "Yep, rescued this one when he was abandoned by some goons who seemed to have a strange fascination with umbreons and the quintet. Horribly distrustful of humans he was. Of course, after he learned to communicate, it was easier." Dakota's attention was snagged by his hints. "You mean it can talk?!" she exclaimed despite herself. Barf chuckled and shook his head. "No, HE cannot talk. That's just absurd. Most pokemon will never learn to speak our language, no matter how well they understand it. It's simply a matter of their mouths not being capable of the same sounds as ours. No he can communicate in a different way." Barf approached the absol. It tensed up at the approach, but relaxed when it recognized the jack-of-all-trades. "Would you like to show our young trainer here how you can 'speak'?" he asked the pokemon. "I am NOT a trainer!" Dakota exploded before the absol could answer. "I don't want to be a trainer, I hate pokemon battles, and I especially never, ever, want to be Champion!" The temperature in the room dropped as everyone stopped breathing. The silence was deafening. Dakota glared at Barf and the absol, daring either of them to contradict her. Even Eda seemed to have turned off her cameras so as to avoid being pulled into the conversation. So she wasn't a trainer, that made sense. Why though? He'd never heard of anyone steadfastly refusing to become a pokemon trainer. Most humans started out as a trainer and learned that it wasn't for them after the fact. It was extremely unusual for a human to have that decided before leaving their home. That's why she hasn't brought out any pokemon, she doesn't have any! Well that would have been nice to know. The absol remembered the moment when he'd seen her wielding the pokeball and all the assumptions that he'd made then and before then. I gave Barf a chance, maybe this human deserves a chance too. He met the girl's icy stare with his own smoldering red eyes and they held eye contact for a long while. "Frazzlebush!" Barf exclaimed. Both the absol and the girl started at the man's outburst. "I entirely forgot the half-baked ideas upstairs! If I don't hurry back, they'll burn! Or worse yet," Barf paused in his dash back to the furniture-a-vator, "They'll be fully baked! Well don't just stand there all day you two!" he shouted down as the couch began to rise, "Have a conversation! Morbidark only knows you've said all you can without words!" With that, Barf disappeared up through the ceiling of the warehouse. The girl went back to staring at him. He sighed, if she wanted, he'd try it. Without a word he rose and began padding away from her. When he reached the end of the isle, he turned his head and beckoned. To his satisfaction, she followed. They walked in silence through the maze of assorted junk and materials until they reached a large table lightly dusted with sand. He sat down next to it and waited for the girl to catch up. As she approached, he indicated the table with his horn. "What?" she asked. Raising a paw, he leaned over the edge of the table and began to move a claw through the sand. After a moment he withdrew. With satisfaction he watched as the human leaned over to see what he'd done. 'Ask a question why don't ya?' the sand answered her. She pulled back from the table as though stung. He huffed at her smartly. "Okay wise guy," she responded. He watched as she took her hand and wiped the words out of the sand table, leaving it blank for his next answer. "One question, what the heracross happened down in those tunnels?" His stomach sank. The girl crossed her arms smugly. How was he supposed to answer? He narrowed his eyes at her, that wasn't a fair question. But doesn't she have a right to know why those glalie were acting so bizzare? And what about Barf? I need to tell him. He might know something about that ooze, he mused. He looked up at the girl. Still smirking, still a big-headed, overconfident teenager. Alright, if you want to play that way, then let's dance! He leaned back over the sand table and began scrawling furiously. He recounted the events underground in his own words as best as he could, making sure not to leave out the part about the voice that made him feel like he should do whatever it asked. By the time he was done, Barf had returned, Terry the torchic at his heels. "Fascinating story," he commented after he read the sand table. "It certainly warrants farther investigation. Which is why you shall both leave first thing in the morning!" Barf's eyes met his behind the goggles as the disaster pokemon opened his mouth to protest, forgetting for the moment that he couldn't speak and be understood. Barf held up his hand, forestalling anyone else from speaking, "You stumbled upon this plot together. You must unravel it together. That is the way the world works. One's task may not be completed by another. Or in this case, there may be no substitutes." Barf crossed behind the sand table and extracted a small, circular disk. He watched as Barf handed the disk to the girl. "This is a simplified cipher disk. On it is the human alphabet, useful in a pinch for a quick word or two, but if you are planning any long conversations I suggest finding some sand or something else." Barf turned and walked back towards the furniture-a-vator. Perplexed, the absol followed him. He looked over his shoulder and noticed the girl following both of them, still holding the disk in her hands. The group ascended on the various pieces of furniture, each lost in their own thoughts. Dakota was in shock. Here was this complete stranger telling her to go off on a journey with pokemon! As she rode her chair she kept sneaking him evil glares. Then there was the absol. The thing could read and write just like a human. How did that work? There was only one conclusion. She'd passed out in the snow and this was her mind entertaining her until she died. They reached the ground floor. Dakota glanced out the windows of the cabin and saw that the moon was high in the sky. She suppressed the urge to yawn, something the absol seemed to have no qualms about. She watched as the disaster pokemon climbed the stairs to the loft, acting for all the world as though this was home. "Don't judge him too harshly," a voice whispered to her. With a start she twisted and brought up her fists, ready to fight. The smiling figure of Barf greeted her. "My my my, the two of you working together will be deliciously interesting!" he proclaimed. "What's to stop me wringing your scrawny neck and leaving?" Dakota growled through clenched teeth. She blinked, and suddenly Barf was no longer in front of her. A tap on her shoulder caused her to turn. There was the mad man, behind her. Another blink, another tap, this time on her ear. She turned back forward, and sure enough Barf had seemingly teleported. "Because my wild whippersnapper, I know all about you Dakota Richards. And I know that you are needed to see this through to the end. Figure out what is causing these mass evolutions, and stop it. Oh, and before I forget," Barf strode to a bookshelf that had previously escaped Dakota's notice and withdrew a large, red volume. Barf tossed it to her. Dakota caught it deftly, not to be outdone. "Find a name for him," Barf gestured to the loft where soft snoring could be heard, "Seal the connection." The strange man must have caught sight of her death glare because he sighed and sank to the couch. "Dakota, Dakota. I'm old and... Ah here you go," he threw another object at her and she managed to catch it with the edge of her fingers. It was her ID. Well that was how he'd figured out who she was. "Anywho, I'm old. I can support, but no longer can I lead. this sort of thing needs to be stopped. You don't need to challenge gyms. You don't need to become champion. For all I care you can go about it stark nude, but you and that absol must put an end to this. Or that voice that absol heard will be the least of our worries. I can watch over the mountain while he's gone. But you need to look over him." Barf leaned forward on the couch and pressed the tips of his fingers together. He peered at her from under his thick goggles, mismatched eyes bright with purpose, "Do this Dakota Richards, and I can solve your family problem." "How did you...?" Dakota started, but Barf interrupted her. "Name! He must be named come your departure tomorrow morning! With that, I am off! Feel free to have the couch, there is a trundle bed beneath it for your convenience." He rose and made for the stairs to the loft. "Oh and Dakota," he paused on the stairs, "Let's make it a name that means something." With that, Barf continued up the stairs. Soon Dakota could make out three different snores, one distinctly human, the others pokemon, coming from the loft. Dakota snorted and set the dictionary gently on the coffee table. Tip-toeing, she made her way to the front door. She reached out for the handle when an electronic whisper distracted her, "I wouldn't try that," Eda warned. Looking around, Dakota caught sight of a camera in the corner above the microwave. She stuck her tongue out at it. "Alright, don't say I didn't warn ya Sugar," Eda hinted. Dakota faced the doorknob, boldness etched into her features. Without hesitation she reached out and grasped the knob in her hand. Volts of electricity raced through her body until eventually she lost consciousness. "Told ya," Eda snickered. The next morning... Dakota came to when a bucket of water was dumped on her head. "My my my, you really don't listen to instruction well do you? Have you come up with a name for our friend here?" Barf asked, bucket still poised as though he hadn't emptied it over her head. She spluttered. "Exuberantly excellent!" the man exclaimed. With surprising strength, he heaved Dakota up and steered her to the breakfast table. Dakota made to avoid sitting, but as soon as his farfetching torchic came down the stairs she began sneezing. "Just a tick," he informed her. A moment later she had a steaming plate of food and another vial of the fizzing orange liquid in front of her. "Down the hatch!" he sang. Barf left her to her breakfast. By the time Dakota had finished she'd refilled her plate four times and was only starting to feel full. The absol came in through the open door and scrawled something on a chalkboard in the corner. Barf broke off what he was doing to look at it. Dakota craned her neck to see what the words read, 'Froslass moving. No signs of wrong glalie. Fred still out cold. Avalanche damage minimal. Name?' The last word caught her off guard and she quickly pretended to still be eating. As she swallowed her last bite slowly, she was aware of everyone in the room watching her intently. Scowling at the world in general, she crossed to where she'd left the dictionary the night before and turned to a page at random. It was the T section. She scanned down the page quickly. Her eyes caught on a certain word, 'Tyke'. She read the definition: A cur; a mongrel. She allowed herself a wry smile. "Tyke," she announced with finality. She snapped the dictionary closed before anyone could look at the word. "His name is Tyke." She watched as Barf gestured to the absol. The disaster pokemon stood still for a long time before nodding his head. Dakota couldn't help but feel fulfilled as Tyke snuck a suspicious glance her way. "Tyke and Dakota, ooze busters!" Barf giggled. "Well come on, come on!" he ushered the pair of them out the front door and into the yard. There stood a dragonite. It was wearing the official seal of the DAS. "This is Ol' Bessie," Barf introduced, "Her rider owes me a few favors. You're not the only one who can burn the midnight oil ya know!" he winked at Dakota. A female rider came around the corner of the house, "Sorry 'bout the mess Barf," she told him, "Ya knows how those beans'll go righ' thu me! Had ta use yur toilet," she climbed onto Ol' Bessie. "I'm aready whenevers ya'll are!" "Think nothing of it Amanda!" Barf bowed to the rider before turning back to Tyke and Dakota. "Now I know you're both against it, but you never know when it'll come in handy. Such as riding a dragonite for example," as he spoke Barf threw yet another object at Dakota. She was beginning to see a pattern. When she revealed what was in her hands, a pokeball glinted in the early morning sunlight. "I've modified it!" Barf proclaimed proudly, "It's now much easier for Tyke here to leave it if he so chooses," the strange man waggled a finger at Dakota. "Keeping a pokemon trapped is one of the worst things someone responsible for pokemon can do," he warned her. "Well go on then! It's just that and a quick dragonite ride to Starling City!" Dakota looked at the absol. It, he, Tyke returned her gaze. She held a vital piece in a path she swore she'd never walk, and she was going to do it. What had happened down in that cavern had been unnatural and wrong. From what she'd learned from Tyke, the pokemon involved hadn't even done so under their own digression. Did she want this though? This was a step closer to the destiny that she never wanted. She'd fix whatever had happened here, and then she'd be done. "Ready?" she glared at Tyke. The disaster pokemon nodded. "Sol," Tyke pressed the dark oval pattern on his head to the pokeball and disappeared in a stream of red light. Without another word, Dakota turned and clambered onto Ol' Bessie's back. They took off. Dakota didn't even turn to see Barf waving them away as she sat, stone faced behind Amanda. Tyke's pokeball safely shrunk in one of her many cloak pockets, the runaway teenager flew towards her new purpose, one she had drive to complete. The End. |
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Bryan Dakota
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| Key2dawn | Aug 20 2012, 12:23 PM Post #3 |
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Cursed by Writer's Block | Former Admin
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I'm sorry it took so long. Approved capture of Tyke. |
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Amethyst
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11:31 AM Jul 11
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11:31 AM Jul 11