Eddies

Chapter 11: Home and away.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Eddies 11

The next day dawned bright and sunny.  Wispy clouds scuttled across the sky, and the sun beamed down, warming the group as they waited at the entrance to the pokemon centre for the arrival of the Rangers.

Glad the bad weather had broken so thoroughly, Chris thanked his lucky stars they wouldn't need to tramp through soaked scrub to the portal.  He'd had enough of mud to last him a lifetime.

Scott and Storm arrived in style; a forest green APV roaring to a halt before them, the smirking typhlosion hanging out the passenger window as it arrived.

"We took the fun toy!  Get in!" he shouted, gesturing towards the rear door of the vehicle, which had dropped to form a ramp into the big six wheeler.  Chris hated to admit it, but he was pretty impressed; not only with the vehicle itself, but the fact it bore such a striking similarity to those from his own world.  Raikou may not have figured it out yet, but Chris was beginning to suspect travel through the portal, or others elsewhere like it, were not as much of an isolated instance as he thought.

  Unlike such vehicles he'd seen in movies back home, this one was equipped for comfort.  Heavily padded seats lined the walls of the rear cargo area, and there was plenty of room for even Raikou to drop in comfort.  Even better, the entire vehicle was air conditioned; a blessing as the sun turned the sodden ground steamy and humid.

They were joined by two other similar vehicles, which Chris could make out through the thick armoured glass fitted to the vehicle windows.  He shouted to Scott over the roar of the engine, asking who they were.  The Ranger shouted back "Support crew.  We'll be manning this end of the portal constantly, until such time as we return."

Nodding, Chris stretched out his legs, resting them on several heavy tarp-covered cardboard boxes that had been strapped to the floor rings in front of him.  As he shifted his legs, the tarp parted slightly, revealing the contents; C-4 explosive.  Not the sort of thing you took on an exploratory outing, thought Chris grimly.  There was more to this than met the eye, for sure.

  The rest of the trip went in silence.  While Skyy gave Chris an occasional worried look, concerned at the scowl he wore, the others didn't seem inclined to talk.  With the drive to the site providing enough distraction to the Rangers in the front, no one else noticed Chris's reticence, although Skyy wondered about that.  He mouthed to his friend "What?"  Chris drew the lucario's attention to his foot rests, then simply shook his head, whispering back "Later..." to which the lucario nodded.

Chris was the first to recognise the turn off from the highway, and yelled out to Scott that this was the right trail.  As the Ranger nodded absently, eyes glued to the rough road ahead, he called back "The psychic pokemon narrowed it down to within a few square kilometres.  This is the only trail in or out of that area."

Chris sat back, keeping a watchful eye on the trail, until they reached the section of road leading to the water hole. Yelling for them to stop, the vehicle shuddered to a halt, and they disembarked from the APV in relief, stretching kinks from muscles stiffened during the journey.

  Chris shouldered his backpack, thankful that his shoulder seemed to have fully settled from its earlier injury.  He still felt a few twinges when it moved to the extremes, but he felt fortunate that was the least of its issues. 

The Ranger staff began clearing some of the nearby scrub to set up a makeshift base from which to operate.  Scott told Chris they'd move things to the portal area once it was located, but for the time being, this was as good a place to begin as anywhere.

Finding the small rock pool wasn't difficult.  Retracing his steps over the cliff he'd fallen over soon found them trudging through heavy scrub, the animal track he'd followed on his arrival barely visible.  On a few occasions Chris lost the trail, but with the help of the Ranger's pokemon, it only took a few hours of hard drudge work to relocate the portal.

The stone archway was as he left it; empty.  No shimmering surface blocked the view of greenery behind, and if he hadn't seen the portal activated, he'd never think it was anything less than it appeared; a rather odd memorial arch way stuck in the middle of nowhere.

  Scott called back to the temporary base, passing on their current position and giving instructions to bring up the equipment to the site.  The rest of the Rangers that had accompanied them began clearing a wide swath around the empty doorway.  Within a surprisingly short time, the place looked suitably industrious.   Several large tents had been erected across from the portal, equipped with portable tables and chairs forming a makeshift HQ.  Once the basics were up, Scott called a meeting of the general staff, motioning for Chris, Jasper and Skyy to join them.  Raikou, meanwhile, stayed outside with Azil, seemingly happy to rest underneath the nearby trees, out of the hot scattered sunlight.

As the meeting commenced, Scott proposed several possible options for activating the portal, none of which were deemed likely to succeed.  While Chris was aware of this, he kept his opinion to himself, aware that Raikou wouldn't be happy if he divulged the knowledge he'd learned from the legendary to anyone else, including the Rangers.  In the end, it was decided that they'd spend the following day taking measurements and readings, before proceeding further. 

  Chris shrugged to himself, content to leave things in their hands for the time being.  As the meeting wound down, and with dusk fast approaching, the group readied themselves for a night in the rough, as orders were given to set up sleeping and latrine facilities behind the current tents.  However, before they could begin, a massive concussion rocked the fabric, accompanied by a flash of light that sent silhouettes of the nearby trees to flash in stark relief on the heavy canvas walls around them.  Once they'd recovered their senses, the group rushed outside, to stare at intent Raikou standing before the now active, shimmering portal, flickers of static still wandering across his thick form.

"It is open" rumbled the legendary, nodding at the opening.  As they stood in shock, he growled further.  "Will you stand there all day, or will you pass through?  I do not plan on holding it open forever!"

With a rush, the Rangers scrambled for gear, outfitting Scott and Storm in heavy backpacks loaded with equipment.  Chris grinned at Skyy, shouldering his own gear as he joined Jasper, who stood staring intently at the portal, quietly whistling an unknown tune underneath his breath.

  Turning to Chris and Skyy, the gym leader gave a wide smile, chuckling as he said "This should be interesting!"  Shrugging off the droll look given by the lucario, he moved closer to the entrance, nearer to where Raikou stood watching the humans inscrutably. 

Azil tugged on Chris's shirt, getting his attention.  As Chris squatted to see what he wanted, the charmander pointed to the balls on the human's belt, then at himself, following his gestures with a quiet "Char!"

Looking at the pokemon intently, Chris asked "You want to go in your ball?" receiving a firm nod in response.  Chris pulled the pokeball from its holster, pressing the button to recall the Charmander.  Giving Skyy a look, Chris raised an eyebrow, wondering if the lucario wanted to seek the safety of his ball, too.  When Skyy shook his head vehemently, Chris grinned, and said "Good!  If I'm planning on spewing again, I want company!"

Joining Jasper, Raikou, Scott and Storm at the portal, he looked to the legendary, who blinked slowly in response.  Nodding, Chris squared his shoulders, and said "Give it a minute between entries, so we don't pile up on the other side."  Drawing a deep breath, he turned on the flashlight the Rangers had issued, and stepped through the shimmering surface...

  ...to arrive into the dark cave, lit only by his torch and the faint shimmering incandescent glow from the portal.

To his surprise, he felt fine.  The nausea accompanying his last transit didn't manifest, and while he felt somewhat lightheaded, his mind cleared within moments.

Thanking his lucky stars, he turned the narrow beam back to the rear of the cave just as Skyy stepped through, and they were shortly joined by Scott, then Storm, Jasper and finally Raikou.

Feeling somewhat claustrophobic in the narrow tunnel, Chris heard Scott checking everyone felt OK, before the small group began walking down the passage towards the cave opening.  Running his hands along the icy cold walls, he let his fingers guide him along, until he felt a brush against his side as Skyy drew close.  Letting off a nervous little laugh, the lucario slipped his paw into Chris's free hand, surprising the human.  When the pokemon drew close, and whispered to him with a wavering voice "I don't like caves", Chris squeezed his hand reassuringly, as the pair followed the Rangers towards the exit.

  A blast of chill air announced they were getting close and the group soon paused, staring in dismay at the sheeting elements visible dimly outside.  All hell had broken loose; rain streamed from the heavens intensely, while the sky exploded with bolts of lightning, illuminating the clouds from within to the point they appeared strobe lit.  The thunder, rumbling from the deluge above crashed about them, and Chris was not the only individual who covered his ears in dismay.

"Shit!" he said to nobody in particular, rifling through his pack for his rain coat.  As Skyy drew near, clearly startled at the raging elements, he threw the poncho over their heads as spray whipped up by the shrieking wind misted around them.

Over the shrieking wind, Scott shouted "Nice place you got here!" achieving a chuckle from Chris. 

The typhlosion edged back as a particularly violent gust sent a spray of water through the cave opening to soak the group.  "Well, this sucks!" said Storm, eyeing the threatening clouds overhead with distain.  "At least you could have made sure the weather was good"

  Chris grinned at him from beneath his plastic protector.  "Yeah, next time I'll warn them you're coming" he said dryly, receiving a broad grin in response.

As the minutes turned into boredom, Raikou finally pushed past to slip into the raging elements beyond.  Chris went to call to him, but paused as the legendary turned to regard him with a shake of his head, the rain not even contacting his pelt as it vaporised in the electrical currents surging around him.  He vanished into the deluge, and Chris considered following, regardless of his objection.  However, the thought vanished as an almighty blast of light strobed through the cave opening, followed by a crack of thunder that set his ears ringing.  Clapping hands over the offended organs, he could only gape in amazement as the rain simply vanished, and a narrow beam of sunlight streaked down to envelope the small clearing outside. 

Struggling outside, the group watched in awe as Raikou sauntered back to them, what could only be described as a smirk crossing his muzzle as he pushed his way through to Chris.

  "Better?" he rumbled, and received an open mouthed nod in reply.

Gathering his scattered wits about him, Chris choked out "Shit, mate!  Remind me never to piss you off ever, huh?" which the legendary gave a deep bark of laughter in response.

Rubbing his aching ears Storm looked at Raikou with a scowl.  "Bit of warning next time, huh?" he growled, receiving a raised eyebrow from the legendary, who chose to ignore the sarcasm.  Instead, the legendary raised his head to stare intently at the now clear sky above.  The blast had opened a narrow tunnel through the clouds directly above the group, although they continued to swirl around the area.

"This will not last.  I suggest we find shelter before it returns" he rumbled, and the group scrambled to the nearby eucalypts, looking for somewhere to pitch their tents.

For some reason, staying in the cave was not discussed; it seemed inappropriate, somehow.

While the camp was set up in record time, they still barely made it before the elements again broke above them.  Secure in their shelter, Chris watched as the tent walls bellowed, the intensity of the wind only surpassed by the chill brought with it.

  He'd offered to share the shelter with Raikou, who shook his head, rumbling "I will stay in the cave.  It does not affect me", before he slipped from the group.  The last Chris saw of him was the star tip of his tail disappearing into the inky blackness within.

Chris considered releasing Azil, but knowing the charmander's aversion to water, as well as his dislike of the cold, he let him be.  The pokemon didn't seem to mind staying in the ball, and would probably protest being released into such bad weather. 

Shrugging, he unpacked his sleeping bag, slipping it over the self inflating mattress they'd been provided by the Rangers, and went to assist Skyy, who was struggling with the valve on the bed.  Once their gear was out, he stripped down to his underwear, and dropped to the thin padding with a sigh.  With the light outside failing fast, he contemplated the obvious time differential between the worlds; it should have been fully dark by now, he pondered.  But with the encroaching darkness came the bitter cold, and he soon found himself shivering underneath the padding, wondering whether he needed to put on some more clothing. 

  Grimacing to himself, as he hated sleeping that way, he rolled over with a groan ready to get up, to meet the glowing red eyes of his friend staring at him.  As he blinked, Skyy asked quietly "Are you cold?"  Chris nodded, and the lucario stretched and sat up, before surprising Chris by throwing his own sleeping bag over the human.  When Chris made to protest, the words died off into silence as Skyy lifted the two layers, slipping in beside him where he wrapped a warm, furred arm around his bare chest, burying his head beneath the human's arm.

Startled, Chris froze for a moment, until the warmth of the pokemon began dispelling the chill soaking through his muscles.  Curling fingers around the lucario in return, he found himself nuzzling the long ears gently, sending Skyy giggling at the tickling sensation. 

Suddenly exhausted as the days stresses finally overwhelming him, he cuddled down against his friend, breathing in the soft musk emanating from the warm fur as the pair fell asleep.

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Chris woke to soft play of warm air across his lips and a cold wetness on his cheek.  As he opened his eyes slowly, his gaze came to rest on Skyy's closed eyelids, inches from his own.  The pokemon's muzzle pressed gently against him, his breath touching his lips in sleep as the human's eyes widened. 

  The first thought that sprang into his head, was how incredibly cute the pokemon's face was.  Ears twitching and whiskers aquiver, he looked really, really....cute. 

The second thought was the almost overwhelming desire to press those lips against his. 

Chris froze as the alien, conflicted thoughts shot guiltily through his mind.  The desire to do this burned through him; he'd never, ever felt anything so intense.  Do it! screamed his mind, and he twitched forward, involuntarily reducing the scant millimetres between them until the situation suddenly cleared, and his gaze fled from those dark, inviting lips to the now opened ruby eyes watching him so intently.

He rolled back, falling from under the sheets to land besides the air mat, watching as the sleep fuzzed lucario stared at him in confusion.  The shock of the icy air hitting his warm skin sent goose bumps across his flesh, and he brought up his hands frantically, grabbing his heaving chest to catch his suddenly vanished breath.  As Skyy sat up from the covers, Chris reached down to grab his shorts and shirt, bolting bare footed from the tent, and leaving a confused and concerned lucario behind.

  His mind didn't register the grass wetting his feet, or the brilliant sunlight streaming down through rain-freshened leaves above.  He only paused after reaching the cave entrance, skin prickling against the smooth chill rock walls, where he groaned at his stupidity!

Damn!!  Damn, damn, damn! He berated himself, staring out in to the morning with lungs having. 
What was he thinking?
What did Skyy think of him?
Damn it!

The emotions roiling within him left him stunned.  He'd never felt anything like this, about anyone, ever!   Hell, he liked Skyy a lot... a hell of a lot, the voice inside him said snidely... But like this?  What the hell made him feel like this?
He wasn't even human!!  Not to mention male, and hairy...
and warm, and affectionate...  and hot! said the voice again, sending him shaking.

Lips pressed tightly in anger at his stupidity, he didn't hear the soft step approach until a large, cold nose touched his side, causing him to release a sudden shriek!

Rebounding off the far wall, he turned to regard Raikou blinking at him in amusement, a wry quirk to his lips.

  "Good morning" rumbled the legendary, and Chris dropped to the dusty floor with a groan.

"Mate!  Don't do that!" he stuttered, receiving a quiet chuckle in return.

Gathering himself, he stared at the legendary for long moments, as Raikou commented on the change in weather, and crisp morning air.  Chris could barely listen, thoughts whirling as he shrugged into his clothing.  Dropping to the floor, he rested his back and head against the chill stone.  As Raikou registered his distraction, the legendary shrugged, falling silent and dropped besides him to share his need for silence.

Finally, Chris turned to him, considering his words carefully, and said "Raikou?  Can I ask you something?"

The big head turned to him, nodding solemnly.  "Of course."

Chris looked into his eyes, and then turned away guiltily.  Before his courage deserted him completely, he blurted out "Can trainers ever care too much for their pokemon?"

Raikou raised an eyebrow.  "As in, emotionally?"

After Chris nodded silently, Raikou shrugged.  "Of course.  The bond can be very close"

  Chris turned away, staring at the wall opposite.  "Too close?" he said quietly, refusing to meet the other's gaze.

Raikou considered his words carefully.  "Can two individuals sharing a deep emotional bond ever be too close?  Would not that defeat the purpose of having such a bond?"

Chris blinked, turning back to the big pokemon.  "In my world, this world, yes it would."

Raikou dropped his head to his paws, and said softly "But we are not from your world, are we, Chris?"  The human turned to regard him, scrutinising the huge cat carefully before replying with a sigh "No, I guess not".

Raikou breathed deeply.  "Love needs no limits, my young friend.  It is what you make of it."

After a moment, Chris reached out and gave the big head a scratch, resulting in a rumbling chuckle from the legendary. 

"How'd you get so wise?" Chris grinned, and the pokemon replied dryly "It comes with age.  I am therefore very wise!" causing Chris to laugh at the droll response.

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When Chris bolted from the tent, clearly upset, Skyy sat staring after him, too stunned to respond.

  Was he...?  Did he nearly....?
Why did he stop?

Groaning, he dropped back to the bed, rubbing his brow with a paw as he tried making sense of his feelings.

All the while, a little voice inside his mind screamed at him.  Yes!  At last!

It should have upset him; disturbed him.  He never considered ever sharing such emotions with anyone, let alone a human.  A human from another world!

Curling up again under the sleeping bags, the lucario shivered, feelings crashing through him as he tried shutting out the pain of the loneliness enveloping him.  Quiet sobs began wracking his frame, as he shuddered under the fabric.

The passage of time did not register, as his misery enveloped him. 
Loneliness.
The loneliness....

Sunk into his misery, he didn't hear the tent fabric part, but froze as a pair of gentle arms wrapped around him.  His keen nose smelt Chris's scent, warm and comforting, and he shuddered against the human, who hugged him against his chest closely.  When the lucario's shaking finally subsided, and his breathing returned to normal, Chris leaned closer, mouthing quietly into his tall, soft ear "I'm sorry..."

  Skyy sighed, and turned until he faced his friend, who refused to release him.  Faces close, Chris gave him an inscrutable look, before leaning forward to bring his lips softly, hesitantly, against Skyy's own.  They kissed, lips barely touching, as red eyes stared longingly into blue, the moment extending beyond thought and reason, as the human's arms tightened around him, drawing him even closer....

Only to send them jumping as the quiet was shattered by a loud banging on the tent fabric, as a gruff voice shouted "Get up, you lazy bastards!!"

Jerking apart guiltily, they looked at the tent flap in shock as it parted to admit the wide, grinning head of the typhlosion, who roared with a smirk "'nuff nookie!  We got shit to do!"

His loud cackling laugh echoed through the clearing as Storm strode away, leaving the pair flushed in embarrassment, but still grinning at each other....

"Do you think he saw....?" said Chris hesitantly.
"Do you think he cared...?" replied Skyy, with a happy smile on his face.

Shaking his head with a wry grin, the human helped the pokemon to his feet, as the pair left the tent to face the new day.

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