Story Notes:
Disclaimer: Pokemon and all licensed Pokemon merchandise, including characters, are strictly property of Nintendo. In short; I own nothing but ideas. Any names and/or likeness pertaining to real people or characters is strictly coincidental (unless it's an allegory). All rights reserved.Warning: This will, in later chapters, contain sex, including normal intercourse, oral, some violence borderline to rape. It will also include violence (not in sex). The story will be updated to include those warnings upon the posting of the first chapter to include that subject. All chapters with sex are marked with XXX at the beginning of their description.Author Notes: (Updated 06/07/10)I don't have any decent excuse, I don't. Other than my life falling apart. I've been up for two days straight and I'm going to sleep now, but that may explain any serious errors in my writing and how poor it is in general. I'll come back to fix it when I'm more awake.=================================================
One Step Forward
Chapter 2
One Step Forward
=================================================
Evelyn was actually feeling a little bit...nervous! She was shifting her weight back and forth between feet, Draco held securely in her arms, looking more bored than anything else. She was thirteen now, and was entitled to Pokegear, if her grades showed that she was responsible enough, which they most certianly did. Today, she was standing outside the one room school building of Fortree City, five of her fellow classmates standing next to her.
Denis, a fresh-faced blond boy with an aptitude for technology that would make any nerd bow to him, skinny as he was. His Shinx was adorable, and though Evelyn was not prone to girlish behavior, even she gave the usual "awww"s whenever the little thing yawned (which he did quite often.) Next to him was Claire, a red-headed girl just a bit shorter than Evelyn, who was the tallest girl of her age in the city. What she lacked in height, she made up for in ferocity. She too had a fire Pokemon, a Vulpix, and Evelyn never wanted to battle with Claire again...ever! Last time, she won by a fluke; Claire's Vulpix was clumsy with her attacks, and Draco wasn't.
Then Blake, a nasty boy Evelyn couldn't stand. Gelled black hair, short and brushed back, gave his pale and pointed features the harshness that went so well with his personality. He was surreptitious little prick, she'd decided. Sneaky and cunning, and his Ekans was no different. Bitterly, Evelyn wondered if that was the same Ekans from the night of the hurricane. Next to him was Lisa, one of the sweetest people Evelyn had ever met in her life. Short, mousy brown hair and forever wearing dresses and skirts, her favorite colors of which were limited to pinks and whites. She was the worst battler of all, but she was the best trainer, odd as that works out. Her Eevee adored her, and the affection was returned in full.
Finally, standing right next to Evelyn, was one of her best friends, Mark. He was very handsome, she had to admit; tanned skin, masculine features already, and tallest in the class. He was never one for hygiene, which bothered her. His hair was shoulder length, but held back in a relaxed pony-tail, a few strands falling loose around his face. He was a solid and stubborn boy, but a reliable friend. His Geodude was asleep at his feet, warm in the early morning sunlight.
Their teacher, Master Broxton, was handing each of them several things. A Pokedex, Pokegear, and a bag; backpacks for the boys, messenger bags for the girls. Evelyn straightened up when she could see his salt and pepper hair just past Mark. He came to Evelyn, smiling at her apprehensive stance, then handed her a purple-themed Pokegear and Pokedex, and a plain grey messenger bag. He clapped his hands together and backed up a few paces, taking a moment to observe.
"Take a look at yourselves, my young pupils; a good, deep look...are you ready? Are you dressed for success?" he said to them, a sudden solemness taking over his features. Evelyn wasn't sure what this was suppose to mean. She'd changed, certianly; she was thirteen for crying out loud! She'd learned to put her hair up in a ponytail, letting the amount of hair that was her 'bangs' stay free to split and frame her face.
Otherwise...clothing, yes; he'd asked them to dress for adventure, whatever that meant. She always felt like she had. She had a grey shirt with a wide opening so that it left her shoulders bare, supported only by the short sleeves at the end. This would be indecent if she weren't wearing a purple "wife-beater" over that (she often joked that it was the "evolved form of a tank top.") Neither were quite long enough, showing a bit of midriff, which was a blessing in the hot and humid jungle. She had black tights that only went down to just above her knees, and over this was a blue denim skirt that went to about mid thigh.
Evelyn inwardly groaned. Not the most...orthodox system of clothing, but she found it very comfortable in this damn sticky weather. At least her grandfather had bought her new running shoes; purple to boot! That was the only plus here, where she knew she should have spent more time on her wardrobe. A nudge at her side snapped her back into focus, and she looked down the line of her classmates, all of whom had seen her look herself over so critically, all of them laughing.
"Not literally, Evelyn," sighed Master Broxton, and Evelyn blushed. She did have a habit of taking things quite literally, which was contradicting to her sarcastic nature. Master Broxton adjusted his vest and then gave an open-handed motion to the jungle.
"The world awaits you!" he said dramatically, "Each of you has passed all of your critical tests in the knowledge and practice of Pokemon training. Though, some had it easier than others..."
He trailed off, and Evelyn felt her face getting hotter az a small feel of resentment fell on the group; a feeling she knew fell on her. She remembered them being very jealous of her when they were younger; the fact that she had a Pokemon partner already was a topic of great envy. Some, like Blake, justified their envy by teasing her, saying she wasn't a real trainer because she couldn't catch Draco until she was ten, and he would bet Draco would run away before then. Obviously, he was quite mistaken, and Evelyn turned ten, still in the company of Draco.
It was a pleasant flashback to reflect on. Master Broxton was giving them all a great lecture on catching Pokemon when they were ten, claiming how difficult it really was. He was going to go out with each of them, letting them use one of his Pokemon to catch their first. He passed out one empty Pokeball to each child, then came to the front of the class.
"Evelyn, come to the front, please, and bring the Pokeball I just gave you." he had instructed. Evelyn did as she was told, holding the Pokeball in her hand.
"Now press the button in the center there." She did, and the ball expanded. "There, now. You can only catch or release Pokemon when the Pokeball is in an unlocked position, such as this. The smaller is more portable and also locks the Pokemon inside. Some Pokemon, if they have the willpower, can break out of an unlocked Pokeball. Once captured, however, the ball has a genetic memory, and knows the Pokemon to which it houses. So, when needed, a Pokemon can be called back quite easily. Now please place the ball on the table, Evelyn."
Evelyn did so, placing it on the table at the front off the classroom, which was covered in various diagrams and books and rubble in organized chaos. She then looked to Master Broxton, and could practically smell a lecture coming on. He took a deep breath and crossed his arms and Evelyn automatically began to tune out; yep, lecture in front of the class.
"Now I bet you think Pokemon catching is easy, just because you have one close to you. Well let me tell you something, my dear; it most certainly is not! It can be very dangerous, even life-threatening-"
The students were all listening to this stern discussion, at first, until Draco stirred from his slumber on Evelyn's desk, sitting up to rub his eyes and then squint at Master Broxton. He puffed up suddenly, taking on an almost insulted look. Master Broxton and Evelyn took no notice, but the other children watched as Draco scooted to the edge of the desk, tried to gently lower himself down (suceeding in a sore butt), then recovered and made his way to the front, little feet patting along the tile floor.
Neither Master Broxton nor Evelyn took any notice of him, until he hoisted himself up a nearby chair, kicking his little legs to help, and again onto the table, where he stumbled through the mess and up to the Pokeball. Master Broxton had stopped mid-sentence when he caught sight of the little beast on his desk, and could only watch over Evelyn's shoulder. She too turned to see what her teacher had stopped ranting for. Draco, with a serious expression on his face, sat himself down on a book with a thump, reached next to him, and poked the button in the center of the Pokeball. It popped open and swallowed him up in red light before snapping shut, rocking a bit, and settling.
One could hear the proverbial pin drop as everyone just looked at the Pokeball, then over to Master Broxton, who not but five minutes ago had claimed that Pokemon catching was "life-threatening". He crossed his arms, giving her a stern look, and Evelyn, not at all sure what to say at this moment, settle with throwing her hands in the air dramatically and shouting, "Ta-da!"
Ah, yes, Evelyn thought with a smile, good times. Today would be different, though. Now she was the one behind. The other children used Master Broxton's Pokemon to catch their first partners; Evelyn had never actually caught anything in her life, other than the occasional cold.
"Today is your final test. If you pass, the world is your Cloyster, and it's yours for the taking. Again, not literally, Ms. Yew," said Master Broxton, throwing Evelyn a small sneer, which she returned with more of a sarcastic smile; bitter old coot. "Today, you must go out and catch your own Pokemon. I won't be there to help you this time; it's all on you. We'll be celebrating for those who graduate later this evening, so be back before supper, please, and good luck!"
The others made off in such a rush, you'd have thought it was nearing dinner time, instead of being just after breakfast. Evelyn looked down at Draco, the beautiful black and red Charmander in her arms; his brilliant blue eyes and tail fire were enough for her; even his faults, like the thin, silvery scar that ran from his left eye to his collarbone was perfect to her. Why get another Pokemon? These thoughts invaded her as she set him down and they made their way into the undergrowth. Evelyn wasn't a Pokemon activist; she was far too lazy to be that. However, she did feel...uneasy about catching Pokemon.
It somehow felt a little wrong. Oh, it wasn't the "the poor thing and all its friends and family in the wild" blah-blah-nonsense she was caught up in. She felt uneasy because she felt the need to make them family, since that what they were suppose to be. She, unlike her classmates, saw the real value in what they called "nicknames" and she called "names". Evelyn couldn't stand the thought of catching a creature she barely knew and just handing it a name without really knowing its nature, who it was, what it liked, and how it felt. It would be a mistake to have a freshly caught Poochyena with a nasty temper who loves to tear the heads off dolls and blindly name it "Sweety". Similarly, you can't name a Houndour "Killer" if its favorite things include walks on the beach, cuddling, and Cheer music. Misnomer was an understatement there.
Evelyn sighed, sitting herself on a mossy rock, trying to catch her breath in the thick air of the jungle. She had made it as far as a small wake pool being fed by a trickling waterfall. Draco was looking around, enjoying the scenery, when Evelyn decided to cool down and knelt at the pools edge, putting her hands into the water and pulling them up to place her face in them, groaning in relief at the feel. If she passed, which she hoped she would, Evelyn planned on seeking cooler grounds.
It was while she was about to bring her hands to the water again that Evelyn found herself face to face with something under the surface, wide and blue, and staring at her unblinking. She screamed involuntarily and shot back, scooting away from the pool. The little face surfaced and looked out of the water at her, cocking its head to the side as it grinned widely. It was blue, with what looked like...barbs of something sticking out from either side of its head.
"Okay...okay, what are you...?" whispered Evelyn, more to herself than the creature as she reached over and fumbled through the pockets of her messenger bag to find the Pokedex and pop it open at the little thing.
"Wooper; water Pokemon. It lives in cold water, half burying itself in the mud at the bottom to sleep."
"Yeah, that water's cold..." she muttered absentmindedly. When she looked up from the Pokedex, the little creature was standing directly in front of her, leaning toward her with wide eyes and a vacant expression. Evelyn managed not to scream this time, but did jump a bit. Draco had come running from his scenic adventure and rounded the mossy rock her gear sat on, down on all fours and swishing his tail on high. The little creature looked over at the growling Charmander, but otherwise paid it no heed, and kept staring at Evelyn, who was feeling more and more disturbed by the second. She decided to break the tense atmosphere as best she could.
"Well hello there..." she said.
"Whoopa!" the creature shouted without warning, making both Evelyn and Draco jump, the latter of which nearly sprang at the Pokemon, but stopped and watched as the little guy just ran around in an excited circle, laughing.
"At least he's nice..." muttered Evelyn, trailing off when she realized something. No, the lack of light here must be playing with her head. But as the creature stopped in front of her again, there was no denying the horrifying truth. The thing had no arms! What sick trick of a higher power was this shit? Evelyn just stared, jaw agape. He seemed to expect her to say something again.
"Um...boo?" she guessed, and low and behold, the predictable little stranger shouted another "Woopa!" and padded around the clearing some more. He was doing quite well for such a deformity, until he tripped on his own two feet and fell flat on his face.
"Oh...well congratulation, Issac Newton," she said drying, tentatively reaching forward to push her hand under him and lifting him up so he could continue his running, "you've discovered...grav...ity..."
She'd lost her train of thought, since she was reeled back to a previous, yet recent one. Watching the little Wooper run was more thrilling than ever, since a name was now echoing through her head. Issac Newton...Issac...Evelyn shot up, making the Wooper stop in surprise, and Draco gave her a questioning look. She returned this with a fiery one, and a determined and brazen smile.
"Draco...scratch attack!" she commanded. Draco shot forward, catching the Wooper across the face. It squealed in shock and tumbled over. It recovered well on its own, and as soon as it did, it ran bee-line for the pool.
"Don't let him in there!" said Evelyn, and Draco cut him off. Blocked now by the black Charmander on one side, and five foot human on the other, the Wooper didn't seem so whimsical anymore. He hunkered down, frowning, before taking a deep breath.
"Uh, oh," said Evelyn, "Draco, dodge and scratch, bob and weave if you must!"
The Wooper shot a stream of water at the Charmander, who darted out of the way not once, but twice before his claws made their second contact, sending the Wooper back again. This time, the little beast was on his back and struggling. Draco, merciless was he, jumped onto it and began scratching more before being shot off by water. Draco landed with a thud a few feet away, but shook his head and stood back up. The Wooper, on the other hand, flopped onto his stomach and valiantly made an effort to lift himself, but scratch up as he was, it was no surprise when he fell back down. Evelyn dug into her bag and grabbed a Pokeball, unlocked it, and threw it at the Wooper. It bounced off him, opened, and swallowed him up. One rock, two...a third, and the ball was motionless.
Evelyn was still for a moment, and so was Draco until he plopped down on the ground, leaning back on his hands. Evelyn looked at him, and he looked from the Pokeball to her, and they simultaneously smiled. He skittered up to her and jumped in for a hug before they scooped up the new Wooper, Issac, and headed for home.
"We did!" shouted Evelyn to the group of adults setting up tables outside the school. The adults looked up, and Professor Yew among them smiled, hands on his hips.
"Well I'll be damned," he said when she came up to them, "the second one back!"
"Second, really?" Evelyn asked; she had expected to be last. It felt like she was out there for much longer than the three hours she was. Her grandfather pointed over to Claire, who was setting up food with her mother, her Vulpix playing with its new friend, a Torchic.
"And what have you, my little wanderer?" inquired her grandfather. Remembering, Evelyn reached into her bag, unlocked the ball, and released Issac the Wooper, who stood and stared up at Professor Yew, unblinking.
"Well hello there," her grandfather echoed her words from earlier.
"Woopa!" shouted Issac, before sprinting off toward the Vulpix and Torchic, eager for playmates more his size and temperament, though probably higher in intelligence and grace.
"Fanciful little thing, isn't he?" mused her grandfather as Evelyn and Draco helped set up the table. Evelyn would pass the Charmander a bowl or tray, he'd run down the table and place it, returning for the next dish.
"A little unorthodox..." she admitted, watching Issac trip for about the fifth time in the last ten minutes.
"What did you name him?" her grandfather asked; he knew his granddaughter well enough to know that she'd name it. She smiled up at him.
"Issac Newton; Issac for short-" she managed, almost with a straight face. Her grandfather snorted with laughter, shaking his head. He then became uncharacteristically somber, and Evelyn felt her smile vanish.
"Gran?" she asked. He gave a great sigh, and smiled a smile she used to give him.
"You'll be leaving in the morning..." he said, folding napkins now. Evelyn frowned, and Draco stopped dead on his way back for a plate, looking at Professor Yew with sheer horror. "You're going with her, you idiot!"
"Woah, Gran!" Evelyn scolded, "Be nice. Why would I leave so soon? I wasn't even planning on-"
"You have to. I'll tell you more after the dinner, your classmates are back..."
And so they were, each with new Pokemon and wide, proud smiles. The dinner was wonderful, but Evelyn couldn't shake the foreboding in her grandfather's voice, and Draco couldn't either. The old man had never spoken to him like that before; he was upset by something else, Draco just knew it...
The party dwindled down and Evelyn eventually said her good-nights and headed for home. Her grandfather had left the party before it began, and she was almost jogging home, anxiety speeding her progress. Draco was even keeping up with her and not complaining. Issac...well he was in Evelyn's arms, fast asleep, but if he were conscious, he'd be relatively unaffected by anything.
Draco watched his friend put their new teammate, Issac, on the couch, then head for the Professor's study where the only light in the house was on. The professor was sitting at his desk, somberly looking over old photos from a tin. Evelyn, trying to be polite, knocked on the door post to alert him. He looked up to her, smiled, and motioned for them both to sit on the floor.
"Here...here," he said, handing an envelope to Evelyn, who opened it to peek inside. Ship tickets? She looked up to him, passing Draco the tickets, who read them as well. You can hardly grow up with a human so closely and not read; he was mute, not illiterate.
"Gran, why did you get me these? Do you want me to leave?" she asked, taken aback. He shook his head, reaching back for the old tin box. It was filled with pictures and diagrams and bits of parchment with nonsensical phrases like "the onyx bleeds" and "they know them, they know where" and other such things.
"What is all this junk?" she asked.
"Not junk; it belonged to your mother, Evangeline," he said, and Evelyn felt a little clammy all of a sudden. She reached in, picking up a photo. It was torn, but there was one woman standing in a lab coat, smiling at the camera. She had wavy black hair, fair skin, purple eyes...
"She left me very specific instructions. She's left something for you; what, I don't know," he said quickly, before Evelyn could ask what. "But I know this; she first wants you to go to Lilycove, and talk to a woman called Mona. She's said to be very wise, and have a lot more to tell you than I could. Now, listen to me, because this is very important. Your mother's life was in danger the moment she began her research, and what she researched wasn't what it seemed, not even to her. There's an underlying force here that's bigger than you or me, and I do not feel comfortable sending you out there, but I know the urgency of this task, and you do not.
"Know this; some search for knowledge to seek a better understanding to see the world for what it is. Others want knowledge to seek a world where others see what they want. All knowledge is subjective; history the most among them. All history is the opinion of the teller, no matter what. Try not to judge by what you may come to hear; the history isn't over, because you're getting on that ship soon, and you're a part of it."
"But the tickets-" Evelyn began.
"Are to be explained by the story's next teller. I only know the orders I am given. If you feel angry, confused, or need help, your Pokegear has a phone function, so don't be a stranger and call your old man from time to time, will you?"
Evelyn didn't know what to say; it felt like being abandoned. He wanted her to leave? Or her mother wanted her to leave? Was it really leaving, or was it arriving somewhere else that was important? In the end, Draco tugged at her hand, she said good night to her grandfather, and allowed the little black Charmander, her best friend, to drag her to bed, where both slept an uneasy sleep of wanderers in the darkness of unsung events and unbeaten roads.
=================================================
Next Chapter: The Sorceress and Sea
Magic comes in many shapes and sizes, but do old ladies count? They do if the secrets they keep are magical tales of their own; perhaps less magical, and more malevolent. First thing's first...how to get there...