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.=================================================
The Sorceress and the Sea
Chapter 3
The Sorceress and the Sea
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The sun was barely even up, just kissing the sky with pinks and purples over the canopies of Fortree city. Evelyn was fully dress, as she had been for the last few sleepless hours, and found herself far over her tree-based home, sitting on a wooden platform built into the tree high up to see over the treetops. She pulled one knee to rest under her chin, the other dangling over the edge of her little sanctuary. She'd always found peace up here, and as the stars above began to fade behind the screen of blue, she took in the serenity of it all. Silent, save the rustling of leaves when a gust of wind flew by and the early sounds of Tailow and Pidgey and various other morning birds waking to greet the day right along side of her. Evelyn glanced to her side, smiling at Draco, who always piggy-backed up here with her. He was curled up next to her, fast asleep.
"At least someone got some rest..." muttered Evelyn as she brought one hand thoughtfully to the tin box resting on her relaxed thigh. She had been trying to piece together the stupid papers inside, but to no avail. It was thick paper, thicker than construction paper; something more like poster board paper. They were also cut with shapes like gagged sides, or waves, or dips and bumps that reminded Evelyn of puzzles. Maybe that's what they were, but none of them fit together, much less in any kind of logical way. Other than that, she'd spent the early morning looking at the various pictures inside. Besides the mysterious one of her mother at work, ripped and incomplete, there were many of her mother pregnant with her, holding Evelyn after the delivery, feeding her, smiling at the camera for no special reason other than true maternal bliss.
"Then why?" wondered Evelyn, "If there was a just and loyal higher power, why would he take her from me?"
A gentle rapping on wood brought her attention to the ladder-like steps built in the tree. Her grandfather had climbed up and was standing on one of the steps, leaning against the platform with a half-hearted smile on his face. Draco stirred, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
"Hey...time to go," said Professor Yew. Evelyn nodded and reached behind her for her bag, pushing her mother's tin box into it before hoisting Draco onto her back and heading down the ladder after her grandfather. Breakfast was fairly silent, apart from the occasional question:
"Will you be alright by yourself?" "I'm a grown man; I think I'll manage, Evelyn..."..."Did you fill the pouch on your belt with the Pokeballs I left on your pillow?" "Yes, sir...Oh, and Issac is in his ball in the pouch behind that one."..."Pass the syrup." "Gran, your waffles are drowning already; besides, Draco's using it, aren't you Drake?" "Mmm..."
Evelyn smiled. She loved conversations with Draco. True, they weren't really all that eventful, seeing as how he was mute, but he could still make odd growls and roars, and her personal favorites, mumbles and mutters. Her grandfather was completely lost in this department, as were most people and Pokemon, but Evelyn felt like she understood him most of the time, or at least his general intent or grievance. With breakfast finished, bags packed and nerves thoroughly worked up, Evelyn walked with her grandfather, Draco on her shoulder, to the edge of town, far along the path she knew so well. They came to a halt and Professor Yew turned to his granddaughter.
"This is it..." he sighed, "Are you sure you're ready? I promise you; there's more ahead that you must learn on your own."
"No, Gran; I think I'm ready for this..." Evelyn replied. Professor Yew nodded.
"And you'll be sure to call?"
"Yes, Gran; I'll call...once I figure out how to use this thing..."
Evelyn looked at her Pokegear, the wrist-based contraption on her arm. It was something like a game system, almost. A double screen that flipped open vertically, a small sound frequency display next to the lower screen, and various buttons of who knows what consequence. On the right side of it, still hidden in its slot, was a pull out, flexible antenna of sorts, and opposite to that was a small metal circle that Evelyn discovered was a stylus of some kind. If one pushed on the circle, it went down, clicked, and pushed out further than before, allowing one to grab it and take it out. It was a collapsible stylus, like some small, thin telescope; damn handy, she thought. All of this was mounted on a wide wrist band that was more like an arm brace, really. It was somewhat uncomfortable, a little itchy, but at least it was her color; purple.
"You'll be fine. Call me when you reach Mona's and you've talked with her, alright?" said Professor Yew.
"Okay..." said Evelyn, sounding soft and anxious. Professor Yew smiled at his granddaughter, reached forward, and patted her on the head gently; quite a bit different from when she was younger since she was now only a head and a half shorter than him. She returned his smile before turning and heading down the road, waving at him as she went until he disappeared from her sight.
Draco sat on his best friend's bag, leaning on her hip and waist, shielded from the morning sun by her arm as she rested her hand on the bag. Every so often though, she'd reach up and fiddle with the contraption on her right wrist. They were barely an hour away from Fortree now, and he'd never seen Evelyn look so nervous. She was muttering under her breath, and he caught her words every so often.
"No-no; it's back a window, isn't it?" "Maybe if I push this but- Oh, what the hell?" "Damn it, I think I turned it off..."
With a roll of his eyes Draco stood up carefully on her bag, leaning on her side for support. He reached up and tugged on her shirt. Evelyn stopped walking and looked down at him. He frowned at her and pointed at the Pokegear on her wrist, cocking his head to the side in inquiry. Not being able to speak in any language didn't stop him from getting the point across.
"Oh, what am I doing with this?" she guessed, and he nodded his head. He still wondered why she bothered guessing; she was usually right. "Oh, I'm trying to find the stupid map on this thing...I wish I had a manual..."
Draco groaned. Was that all? He loved her, he truly did, but sometimes she was so distracted, she forgot the basics, which was why he had packed extra things in her bag. Hell, she'd often forget to eat if he didn't bring her food and thrust it under her nose. He leaned over the bag, grasping her shirt for leverage. She'd gone back to fiddling with the Pokegear, now with the stylus out and tapping on the screen. He unclipped the bag and reached in, pulling out a small, human-hand sized book. He walked toward the front of the bag, grabbing the strap for support and waved the book frantically in front of her.
"Hm? What is it D- Oh! A manual," she exclaimed before closing the flip screen of the Pokegear and putting the stylus up. Draco rolled his eyes but was suddenly swooped up in her hands and her lips went straight to his cheek. He cringed at first, that masculine pride trying to deny the sensation, but smiled and let her kiss his cheek. She proceeded to sit down at a boulder near the trees at the side of the road, letting Draco sit in her lap. She put her arms in front of him, the left hand getting the stylus again and the right with the Pokegear. She left the messenger bag on the ground at the side of the boulder.
"Alright, let's do this. Open it up, Drake," she said, and Draco opened the manual, flipping to the contents and from there to the map directions. It didn't take long to find the map with the manual. The bottom screen showed their location on a map, and Evelyn found Lilycove too.
"Not too far away..." mused Evelyn, sighing. "We won't be there by lunch, though, that's for sure."
Draco groaned and looked up at her and Evelyn chuckled.
"Gran packed sandwiches," said Evelyn, turning toward the bag, "so let's just eat no-"
Evelyn stopped mid sentence, hand stretched toward her bag. Draco, who'd been cruising through the manual, took notice and followed her line of sight, jaw dropping like hers. There, standing at their open bag, was a Shroomish in front of a pile of little plastic bags, munching away at what would have been their lunch.
"What the hell?!" shouted Evelyn, and Draco jumped down from her lap, toward the little Pokemon, who jumped back and growled at them. Evelyn dove for the bag and pulled out the Pokedex, flipping it open.
"Shroomish. Grass Pokemon. It sprouts poison spores from the top of its head. These spores cause pain all over if inhaled."
"Ho, shit..." muttered Evelyn, "Draco, back off!"
Draco ignored Evelyn for once, fully intent on showing this invader what happens to thieves. They growled at one another, and Evelyn looked on anxiously. She was almost going to step forward and seize Draco, when a rustling caught all their attentions toward a shaking bit of shrubbery in the jungle.
"Where'd that stupid little shoom-wazzit go?" came a hissing, sneaky voice Evelyn knew too well, and she groaned inwardly when Blake stepped out of the wilderness, looked around a moment, and spotted the tense group. His eyes came to rest on the Shroomish.
"Ah-ha!" he shouted, making all of them except the Shroomish jump. Blake pulled out a Pokeball and expanded it. "Now I've got ya!"
"Woah-woah! He your friend, Blake?" asked Evelyn, taking a step forward, but retreated immediately when the Shroomish rustled his body threateningly and she remembered that bit about spores.
"What? No! This little punk poisoned my Ekans!" roared Blake.
"Well...did you attack him?" asked Evelyn.
"I wanted to catch him, so...duh, yeah," mocked Blake. He tossed the Pokeball and it revealed a female Nidoran. Draco riled up, not enjoying another Pokemon on the field trying to attack his opponent, his sandwich thief.
"Nidoran, tackle attack!"
The blue Pokemon dashed forward toward the Shroomish, who spread his feet apart and stood his ground. When the Nidoran was close, he shook violently without warning, sending green dust into the air.
"Draco, get back!" shouted Evelyn. Draco jumped back as the Shroomish and the Nidoran disappeared behind the blanket of dust. Draco had barely touched ground when the Shroomish came rushing out of the dust and tackled him. Draco was slammed back a few paces, but recovered. The Shroomish was still holding his ground, and Draco looked back his friend; she had the same shocked expression he would bet was on his face as well. This Shroomish was nothing short of ballsy.
"Brave little beasty..." muttered Evelyn. "Bet I know what'll send him running for his own good; Draco, ember!"
Draco inhaled sharply and exhaled fully, a small bit of fire following, the Shroomish jumped to side a few times to avoid the flame, succeeding twice and failing once, but when Draco ceased his attack, the Shroomish still stood his ground.
"Wow...against fire," whispered Evelyn. She had hopped he'd run like Issac tried to. "Regular Richard the Lionhearted, isn't he....?"
"Nidoran, tackle!"
The Shroomish looked back, and the Nidoran came leaping from the dust to tackle him. He stepped to the side and she crashed, making feeble attempts to get up. Her face looked feverish, and she seemed weak.
"Blake, I think your Nidoran is poisoned..." said Evelyn. Blake cut her a nasty look.
"She'll be fine," snapped Blake, and Evelyn looked flabbergasted. How can he say that? She needed help and he wasn't giving it to her? The thought of this brave Shroomish being in the hands of Blake-the-Neglectful made her stomach churn.
"Nidoran, tackle!" Blake shouted. The Nidoran made an attempt to stand, but her legs gave way. Draco watched, feeling sorry for her. He looked to the source of the poison, to the Shroomish, to see that the grass Pokemon had its back to him. An idea formed and Draco acted reflexively. He shot a stream of fire at the Shroomish, and without the aid of hearing Evelyn's commands as a forewarning, he received a direct hit and collapsed only a few yards from Blake and Evelyn. He struggled to get up over and over, not letting his weak body stop him from trying.
"Yes!" gasped Blake, reaching back and expanding and empty Pokeball. He threw the ball and the Shroomish was taken in. Blake looked quite pleased as the ball rocked gently, but his smile vanished when the Shroomish burst out of it, looking more tired than ever. He cursed softly and began to reach back for another Pokeball. Evelyn reacted and shot her hand back, doing the same, and whirled her Pokeball at the Shroomish. It hit him, bounced off, and swallowed him up.
"No!" shouted Blake, looking like he might murder Evelyn, but she wasn't paying attention. She was watching the Pokeball as it twitched back and forth several times before resting.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" shouted Blake, advancing toward Evelyn. Draco felt heat flood his face and he jumped forward, shooting flames on the ground in front of Blake, who staggered back.
"I told you I wanted to catch him!" growled Blake. Evelyn, recovering from the initial shock of it, straightened up.
"Who said I didn't want to catch him?" she asked before strutting forward with confidence and picking up the Pokeball. Blake returned his Nidoran to her Pokeball and began to walk down the path more. He stopped at her side, mere inches from her. Draco had come to her side, and glared up at the male teen, daring him to try something, anything, and give him a reason to burn him to the core.
"You will regret this, I promise you," he hissed, then rushed off. Draco looked to his friend. She was staring off after Blake, but with the gaze of one who was thinking, not seeing. He gave her a quick but gentle swat to the leg, and she jumped to attention.
"Hm?" he mumbled to her. She looked at the Pokeball in her hands, turning it in her fingers, and sighed.
"We should go. We need to get to Lilycove before nightfall. That and we need to get Richard some medical attention..." replied Evelyn. She watched as a funny look came over Draco's features; one of contemplation.
"I named him Richard, on account of his bravery," she explained as she made her way to the boulder again, picking up the bag. Draco looked up at her, recalling the same story she had thought of, and raised his hand to pat it on his chest.
"Yeah, yeah- heart. Richard the Lionhearted, right. I think it fits, but we'll have to ask him. When he's better, I mean," sighed Evelyn as she reached her hand down, taking Draco's and helping to hoist him up onto the top of the bag once more.
"Damn; finally!" gasped Evelyn, doubling over to catch her breath. The lights of Lilycove had come into view a while back, shining against the setting sun, and now they were finally at the entrance to the city. She immediately made for the Pokemon Center and healed her Pokemon. The Shroomish was as gutsy as ever, but after a good talking to and some 'convincing' by Draco and Issac (resulting in another visit to Nurse Joy), he calmed down and accepted his new name of Richard the Lionhearted.
"Excuse me," said Evelyn over the counter in the Center. Nurse joy turned to her. "I'm sorry, but do you know anyone by the name of 'Mona'?"
"Mona? Oh, yes; the gypsy. She lives in the cottage by the lighthouse," answered Nurse Joy. Evelyn thanked her and made her way out. As she climbed the steep hills bordering the ocean of Lilycove, a cozy little home came into view; something warm and inviting against the blazing sky. Draco stood on the bag at her side as Evelyn approached the door, fiddling with her armband. The shiny Charmander rolled his eyes and reached forward, knocking on the door himself. She was so damn bashful at times...
"Just a moment, just a moment!"
There was a brief sound of footsteps on wood behind the door before it opened. There stood an elderly woman, shorter than Evelyn and wider too. She had dry grey hair wrapped in a tight bun, and she wore a mahogany-colored long-skirt and a white blouse with a multi-colored, flowery shawl over it.
"Good evening," said Evelyn, trying to be polite and make up for the fact that she had knocked on an elderly woman's front door so late in the evening. "By chance, are you 'Mona'?"
The woman blinked up at Evelyn before reaching down for a pair of eyeglasses that hung from pearls on her neck. When she placed them on her face and looked at Evelyn again, she took a huge intake of breath, one hand shooting to her heart and the other grabbing the door frame for support. Evelyn stepped forward to aid the old woman.
"Are you alright, Ma'am?" she asked when the old woman waved her help off and recovered on her own. When she did, she wore a brilliant, denture-filled grin. Evelyn felt a little uneasy at the way she was looking at her.
"Come in, my dear; hurry, hurry! Oh, I've waited for you for so long..." she cooed, and Evelyn was ushered in, stuttering at her host words of gratitude and half-questions. The woman hushed her questions and led her into the homely cottage, past the living room and into the small kitchen, forcing her into a seat at the table. Draco was jolted from his position on Evelyn's bag, but climbed up onto his friend's lap as quickly as possible. Mona chuckled and patted him on the head before busying herself with making plates of food from whatever she had, humming happily.
"Um...I take that you are Mona then, right?" inquired Evelyn.
"Oh-ho! Yes, yes; are you hungry, dear? You simply must be. Here, here, eat." insisted Mona, moving with a good bit of speed for such an elderly woman. She gave Evelyn a plate of food, Draco a smaller one, and busied herself with making tea.
"Thank you," said Evelyn, placing her bag on the seat next to her, then Draco on top of the bag so that he might eat at the table. The kitchen was well-lived; jars of preserves on shelves, plates behind glass cases, dried herbs and spices hanging in front of the window over the sink. It felt warm and safe and smelled like the world.
"Oh-oh!" cooed Mona, unable to contain her joy, "It's simply wonderful to see you my dear, even if it is only a trick of the eyes. You look exactly like your mother; as well you should, really."
"You knew my mother well?" asked Evelyn after swallowing a bit of roast beef.
"Oh my, yes. I was with a traveling caravan of fellow magicians when I met your mother, way back in Goldenrod, Johto," said Mona as she placed tea in front of Draco and Evelyn, the latter of which was trying to catch up to what the old woman had said.
"I-I beg your pardon?" she asked. Mona sat across the little round table, nursing a cup of tea herself. She placed the tea on the table and rested her head on her hand, just looking at Evelyn with a smile.
"I was once a magician of sorts; a 'sorceress', as my fellows put it. Long, long ago, as you can imagine. I only knew your mother for a short while, but her radical ideals were dumbfounding, my sweet. This was before I knew of the towers, of course," said Mona. Evelyn and Draco were both staring at her blankly. She laughed from her belly, hazy brown eyes sparkling.
"I should start at the beginning, shouldn't I?" she asked, and both Evelyn and Draco nodded. "Alright then, I'll tell you what I know-"
"I was what so many called a 'gypsy'. I traveled with other people who believed in living with Pokemon in peace and not use them or forcing them to fight. By the skeptical look on your face, you're thinking what many thought; we were those 'damn hippies'. We knew street magic simply to earn money or food. I later learned a...sort of real magic. That's neither here nor there. We were called hippies many times. I suppose that we were, but all the same, we were generally shunned by people who used Pokemon daily for all sorts of labor. I had traveled to many places, but the worst were cities. Goldenrod was one that shunned us as well, but I hadn't expected to be attacked. A nasty woman by the name of Invida sought to 'teach us a lesson' and had her Pokemon attack us."
"That's terrible!" gasped Evelyn. Draco grunted in reply. Mona nodded, but continued.
"Yes, but that's when I met your mother. She came in to defend us, starting quite the shouting match with Invida. Evangeline was quite the girl, and a good few years younger than I. The funny thing is, your mother never owned a Pokemon. Never caught one. She sustained a few injuries during the street brawl, but this brought the attention of locals, who pitched in. By the end, Invida sauntered off, defeated, and I took your mother for medical care. She and I became good friends, and she was very interested in our group. Her ideas, however, were even bigger than ours! In her mind, Pokemon and people were only different by body, and they should be treated as if they were humans."
Evelyn took the moment to reflect on how like her mother she was, both in looks and mind, and felt more regretful than ever that she couldn't even remember her mother's voice. Draco gave her a sidelong glance, feeling the unease. He reached for some salt, brushing his hand with hers as hers was resting on her cup of tea. She gave him a smile of gratitude and continued to listen to Mona.
"We traveled together for a while and I had the pleasure of both teaching her and learning from her. It was one day in the ocean outside Slateport while we were surfing that the story really began. A storm swooped in so suddenly that we hadn't any time to prepare, and we were swept out. We were tossed and turned but...saved by something. I couldn't tell you what it was even if I wanted to. I remember it was big, and white, but wide like...like wings or a bird. Oh, and its song, dear; I wish you could hear it."
She was beginning to zone out in a way, staring off in sentimental bliss. After allowing her to enjoy the moment, Draco cleared his throat and Evelyn spoke "How did you survive?"
"Oh! Well, we washed ashore on the beach of an island we later learned is uncharted, secret. Upon it was a massive tower made of almost solid white marble. We were offered help from the monks there. It was a tower of men and women who were dedicated to learning the secrets and feel the immense gratitude toward Legendary Pokemon. They had statues and runes everywhere for worship, and they were so peaceful. I felt at home there, and so did your mother. It was there we learned of a secret organization known as the Towers of Knowledge. It was a group of four towers, each dedicated to the search of specific knowledge. The Marble Tower studied Legendary Pokemon, the Onyx Tower studied health of both humans and Pokemon, and how to better said health. Granite Tower was dedicated to the research of each species population and genetics, and was the only organization to keep a sort of census on species population. Finally, there was Opal Tower. Its members studied the differences between humans and Pokemon, and where the line is truly drawn. Physically, mentally, and spiritually. They had almost made a break in the language barrier!"
Evelyn found herself enchanted by the tale, leaning in to listen more. How did no one know of this? This was amazing! Mona, however, had a sad smile.
"What's wrong, Ms. Mona?" she asked.
"I just recall it so vividly. The last day I saw your mother. I always knew she was brilliant, but when a member of Opal Tower came to visit the head priest of Marble Tower and offered her a job, I knew she was destined for something special. It's just such a shame that it all went so wrong. I don't know who, I don't know when, but there was an inner group within the Towers of Knowledge who worked together to steal precious research for their own goal. What they planned, I don't know, but I do know this; the Towers still stand, but they fell long ago. The group became powerful and took over three of the towers. As far as I know, Marble Tower has not given in, but again, I cannot be sure, dear. That is all I know."
Evelyn leaned back in her chair, staring down at the cylindrical cup of tea in her hands and tossed this new, fantastic tale in her mind. Such a wonderful idea; the collection of knowledge for the greater good of Pokemon and humans alike. Draco was staring at his food next to her, thinking along the same lines. He was feeling bitter toward humans, at least those responsible. How much could have been accomplished if the Towers hadn't been taken over?
"I see you two have quite a bit to think about..." said Mona, getting up and taking their dishes before shuffling to the sink. Evelyn rose from her chair, picking up Draco and her bag. She stood in spot, mind still racing, and she shifted her weight between feet as she looked around the room for some sign of what to do next. The light outside was gone, and only the occasional beam of light from the lighthouse illuminated over the sea.
"Come, come. I'll show you to your room. I never had the pleasure of seeing your mother again, but I did meet your grandfather, and he had messages and gifts from your mother..." said Mona, taking Evelyn by the hand and leading down a hallway to a small room at the end. She patted her on the shoulder and gave her a wrinkled smile. "Sleep now; you have a lot to take in, I know. Tomorrow, though, we go and get what your mother left you. Tomorrow, we go to Mt. Pyre..."
If you didn't know, I've posted up two links to two works of art of mine on my profile, along with a photo of myself. The pictures are of Evelyn and Draco in his various forms. Please take a look. I have a sketch of the Pokegear I'll put up later. Keep and eye out for new art.
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Next Chapter: The Phantom Chest
Mt. Pyre, home of the dead. Old friends, new friends, a twisted path, and a treasure that is not what it appears. It is the first door to many keys.