Story Notes:
Disclaimer: Nintendo owns Pokémon, not I. The original characters (names, personalities, etc.) and plot are my property. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.Expect ratings and categories to change as chapters are added to the story. Current selections reflect the most restrictive ones that published chapters will fit into.This is my first story and a work in progress. Serious comments will be taken seriously and the story updated as needed.If you would like to help by being an editor/proofreading the chapters before they are posted, get in contact with me via email or msn. Before posting a chapter I try to get readers and other writers to give me a bit of feedback on each chapter.
Chapter 1 - The Dream
Hesmiled. She blushed. He waved. She joined him in the grass. He slipped his armaround her. She snuggled in close. He relaxed in the grass. She purred softly.He adjusted himself to remove a rock that was in his back. A cloud passedoverhead and she gave its shape a name. He mumbled sweet nonsense back toher. Another cloud meandered across their view. A gentle breeze croppedup and filtered through her fur. She shivered and pulled him close as theclouds began to obscure the sun and its warmth. He wrapped a wing around her asthe breeze grew cold. A leaf caught in her tail. They both looked up at the skyas it blackened. A bolt of lightning arced across the sky, causing her fur tostand on end. She could sense the impending rain and clung to him as the dropsbegan to fall. He gently picked her up and trekked to his cave as the windbegan to howl. The skies turned a sickening green as they began to churn roundand round. He and she fled deeper into the cave as a tornado formedamidst a flash of lightning. He held her close in disbelief as the twisterzigzagged towards them. She gazed into his eyes, searching for reassurance. Henuzzled softly against her fear-stricken face, trying to calm her. The tornadostalled unnaturally at the mouth of the cave, prying her form from hisarms. He grasped at her outreached arms in desperation. He was losing hisgrip on her soft fur. She called out to him. The wind broke their grip. She waspulled towards the mouth of the cave. He ran after her. Stepped in a puddle.Feet wet. Slipped. Gone.
"No!"
Joey sat up with a start, nearly planting his face into a low-hangingstalactite. He heaved, sucking breath after deep breath into his panicked lungsas his eyes darted around the cavern he called home. He shivered in thecold night air, trying to forget the nightmare that had disturbed his sleep.After several minutes of lying curled up and staring at a cricket as it walkedalong the rocky floor and unable to sleep, Joey decided a walk might helpsettle his mind as well. He stood, slowly working his way towards the mouth ofthe cave and out into the nighttime forest where his paws stepped lightly onthe freshly dewed grass as he walked the well-worn path to the nearby stream.
He drank slowly from the stream, the cool water refreshing. He looked up at thestars and the moon, watching as a cloud began to drift in front of it. Heturned, and began the return journey to his hole in the ground in case theincoming clouds brought precipitation, not wanting to be stuck with wet fur untilthe warm season returned. He had made the mistake of not staying dry a couplewinters ago and nearly froze because of it. And he would have, had it not beenfor an ancient, blind diglett that he tripped over as he stumbled half-frozeninto the cave that is now his home. Unlike nearly every other Pokémonthat had happened upon him, the diglett didn't flee at the sight or lackthereof of Joey's mixed-up form. He could feel Joey's shivers through theground and in response spent an hour burying Joey up to his neck, which driedhis fur and acted as a blanket, helping him make it through to the next day andthe warmth of the sun which it brought with it.
He entered the cave quietly as he returned, slipping into the darkness andfinding a spot to curl up against the wall. He couldn't see in the pitch blackcavern, but he could hear the gentle breathing of the diglett echoing off thewalls. Joey wrapped his wings about himself and placed his head upon his paws.The stroll seemed to have calmed his mind, and he drifted back to sleep. Joeyhad always wondered why the diglett had intervened that winter. He could haveused less energy to kill Joey outright for the experience, or simply have lefthim there to fend for himself. Several months after that fateful night, Joeyasked the diglett "Why?" to which he got an answer more confoundingthan the question: "Why not?"
Joey had stayed with the diglett, helping out the aging Pokémon as needed. Heenjoyed the companionship as well, never really having someone to call "friend"before. It was a new experience for him, the diglett neither fleeing from norlaughing at society's reject. Joey had also gained quite a reputationwith the local Pokémon and at the nearby town of Viridian as of late. Like thetales of dragons and medieval knights, he was the monster that lived near thevillage. The monster that would cower in a room at the back of the cave untilthe "knight"-trainers would get bored and leave. The forest Pokémonno longer feared him, but they generally steered clear and left him to himself.He couldn't complain.
"Did your night-vision happen again?"
Joey looked up from his pile of berries he had collected that morning."Good morning Dig. You don't miss much, do you?"
"Not much, winged-hopper. Dig can't see, but he hears. Hears all..."the diglett replied. "Was lady-friend taken by sky-wind?"
"Yes, like always. Just when everything is peaceful, the storm comes andtears her away."
"Why not hold on? Why let go of lady-friend each time?"
"I try, I try! But every time she slips away..." Joey sighed infrustration, and ate another paw's worth of berries.
"I try move tall-mountain, but if Dig not close paws tight enough,small-dirt slip through claws."
"Right...but I can't stop the tornado. Even when I have my whole bodywrapped around her, it jumps to me only having a single grasping paw to saveher by."
"Will winged-hopper be able to save lady-friend when time comes if he nobelieve in self?"
"Well, I'd suppose not, but who says that my dreams divine the future?"
"Why not?" Dig asked, effectively ending the argument.
Joey tossed a couple more berries towards diglett before finishing up the restof the pile and preening himself. The diglett's cryptic conversation could beconfusing at times, but when understood it often held very valuable advice.
Joey slipped into the stream, its cool waters easing the midday heat as herelaxed. Fish nibbled lightly from time to time, trying to figure out whatexactly had invaded their home. Nobody bothered him, and he bothered nobody -this is how he liked it. He let himself drift to a shaded patch of the stream,propped his foot paws up on a rock on the bank to prevent him from driftingaway, and then just let himself float. His eyes grew heavy to the gentlemovements of the water and closed as he slipped into an afternoon nap. Hissleep was calm and dreamless, a welcome relief from his nighttime episodes.
He stirred as a berry fell from and overhanging tree branch and nipped him onthe nose. He opened his eyes, checking the sun's position. It was getting closeto setting, evening would be near. He yawned, and inhaled the lovely scentof.... smoke? It wouldn't be the first time a camper had forgot to put out acampfire, but they usually avoided this area - he had been turned into a storyparents used to scare kids in Viridian, or so he'd heard. This fire wasunusually close, and the smell of smoke was strong. Joey pulled himself fromthe stream but refrained from shaking the water off of him. Whatever waterdidn't drip off along the way might come in handy. He began a slow jog towardsthe column of smoke in the sky, having to use it for direction because thedense forest prevented him from seeing more than a few yards.
Joey arrived panting at a scene of horror: His cave had been turned into aninferno, bright flames licking at the walls and illuminating its depths. Thesmell of kerosene and gas hung heavy in the air as thick clouds of smokebillowed out of the cave. "DIG!" roared Joey as he rushed into thehellhole. "DIG! *cough* Where are you!?" His eyes and lungs burned ashe struggled to find breathable air. He fumbled around on the ground for hisfriend, the water almost completely evaporating from his fur, the endsbeginning to singe. His paw suddenly sunk into a patch of soft earth, common toa diglett's tunnels. He felt around along the tunnel, and found his friend,pulling him from the ground and the inferno. He gently set the diglett on theground outside of the cave and nuzzled the motionless form with his snout. "Dig- wake up! ...Please don't let me have beentoo late..." Joey ignored the screams of his body as he focused on his onlyfriend, oblivious to the form concealed in the underbrush nearby and the softtap of an ultra ball against his tail tip. His body flashed red as everythingwent black...Chapter End Notes:Please leave constructive criticisms and helpful reviews/comments. "OMGEH AEWSOEM!!! 10/10" is not very helpful for editing and revising
"No!"
Joey sat up with a start, nearly planting his face into a low-hangingstalactite. He heaved, sucking breath after deep breath into his panicked lungsas his eyes darted around the cavern he called home. He shivered in thecold night air, trying to forget the nightmare that had disturbed his sleep.After several minutes of lying curled up and staring at a cricket as it walkedalong the rocky floor and unable to sleep, Joey decided a walk might helpsettle his mind as well. He stood, slowly working his way towards the mouth ofthe cave and out into the nighttime forest where his paws stepped lightly onthe freshly dewed grass as he walked the well-worn path to the nearby stream.
He drank slowly from the stream, the cool water refreshing. He looked up at thestars and the moon, watching as a cloud began to drift in front of it. Heturned, and began the return journey to his hole in the ground in case theincoming clouds brought precipitation, not wanting to be stuck with wet fur untilthe warm season returned. He had made the mistake of not staying dry a couplewinters ago and nearly froze because of it. And he would have, had it not beenfor an ancient, blind diglett that he tripped over as he stumbled half-frozeninto the cave that is now his home. Unlike nearly every other Pokémonthat had happened upon him, the diglett didn't flee at the sight or lackthereof of Joey's mixed-up form. He could feel Joey's shivers through theground and in response spent an hour burying Joey up to his neck, which driedhis fur and acted as a blanket, helping him make it through to the next day andthe warmth of the sun which it brought with it.
He entered the cave quietly as he returned, slipping into the darkness andfinding a spot to curl up against the wall. He couldn't see in the pitch blackcavern, but he could hear the gentle breathing of the diglett echoing off thewalls. Joey wrapped his wings about himself and placed his head upon his paws.The stroll seemed to have calmed his mind, and he drifted back to sleep. Joeyhad always wondered why the diglett had intervened that winter. He could haveused less energy to kill Joey outright for the experience, or simply have lefthim there to fend for himself. Several months after that fateful night, Joeyasked the diglett "Why?" to which he got an answer more confoundingthan the question: "Why not?"
Joey had stayed with the diglett, helping out the aging Pokémon as needed. Heenjoyed the companionship as well, never really having someone to call "friend"before. It was a new experience for him, the diglett neither fleeing from norlaughing at society's reject. Joey had also gained quite a reputationwith the local Pokémon and at the nearby town of Viridian as of late. Like thetales of dragons and medieval knights, he was the monster that lived near thevillage. The monster that would cower in a room at the back of the cave untilthe "knight"-trainers would get bored and leave. The forest Pokémonno longer feared him, but they generally steered clear and left him to himself.He couldn't complain.
"Did your night-vision happen again?"
Joey looked up from his pile of berries he had collected that morning."Good morning Dig. You don't miss much, do you?"
"Not much, winged-hopper. Dig can't see, but he hears. Hears all..."the diglett replied. "Was lady-friend taken by sky-wind?"
"Yes, like always. Just when everything is peaceful, the storm comes andtears her away."
"Why not hold on? Why let go of lady-friend each time?"
"I try, I try! But every time she slips away..." Joey sighed infrustration, and ate another paw's worth of berries.
"I try move tall-mountain, but if Dig not close paws tight enough,small-dirt slip through claws."
"Right...but I can't stop the tornado. Even when I have my whole bodywrapped around her, it jumps to me only having a single grasping paw to saveher by."
"Will winged-hopper be able to save lady-friend when time comes if he nobelieve in self?"
"Well, I'd suppose not, but who says that my dreams divine the future?"
"Why not?" Dig asked, effectively ending the argument.
Joey tossed a couple more berries towards diglett before finishing up the restof the pile and preening himself. The diglett's cryptic conversation could beconfusing at times, but when understood it often held very valuable advice.
Joey slipped into the stream, its cool waters easing the midday heat as herelaxed. Fish nibbled lightly from time to time, trying to figure out whatexactly had invaded their home. Nobody bothered him, and he bothered nobody -this is how he liked it. He let himself drift to a shaded patch of the stream,propped his foot paws up on a rock on the bank to prevent him from driftingaway, and then just let himself float. His eyes grew heavy to the gentlemovements of the water and closed as he slipped into an afternoon nap. Hissleep was calm and dreamless, a welcome relief from his nighttime episodes.
He stirred as a berry fell from and overhanging tree branch and nipped him onthe nose. He opened his eyes, checking the sun's position. It was getting closeto setting, evening would be near. He yawned, and inhaled the lovely scentof.... smoke? It wouldn't be the first time a camper had forgot to put out acampfire, but they usually avoided this area - he had been turned into a storyparents used to scare kids in Viridian, or so he'd heard. This fire wasunusually close, and the smell of smoke was strong. Joey pulled himself fromthe stream but refrained from shaking the water off of him. Whatever waterdidn't drip off along the way might come in handy. He began a slow jog towardsthe column of smoke in the sky, having to use it for direction because thedense forest prevented him from seeing more than a few yards.
Joey arrived panting at a scene of horror: His cave had been turned into aninferno, bright flames licking at the walls and illuminating its depths. Thesmell of kerosene and gas hung heavy in the air as thick clouds of smokebillowed out of the cave. "DIG!" roared Joey as he rushed into thehellhole. "DIG! *cough* Where are you!?" His eyes and lungs burned ashe struggled to find breathable air. He fumbled around on the ground for hisfriend, the water almost completely evaporating from his fur, the endsbeginning to singe. His paw suddenly sunk into a patch of soft earth, common toa diglett's tunnels. He felt around along the tunnel, and found his friend,pulling him from the ground and the inferno. He gently set the diglett on theground outside of the cave and nuzzled the motionless form with his snout. "Dig- wake up! ...Please don't let me have beentoo late..." Joey ignored the screams of his body as he focused on his onlyfriend, oblivious to the form concealed in the underbrush nearby and the softtap of an ultra ball against his tail tip. His body flashed red as everythingwent black...Chapter End Notes:Please leave constructive criticisms and helpful reviews/comments. "OMGEH AEWSOEM!!! 10/10" is not very helpful for editing and revising