Story Notes:
The chapters in this story are in no way connected to each other, except for the fact that they are all inspired by song lyrics from "There's a river in the valley made of melting snow", by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, formerly The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band, formerly A Silver Mt. Zion (ASMZ) and, at one point, The Silver Mountain Reveries. There will be 36 chapters, with none of them having more than 2000 words. Each will have its own topic, according to the individual titles. Each will have different characters and a different setting, in order to show just how many topics this song deals with. Speaking of which, in case you'd like to listen to it, you can find it on YouTube. I recommend this song; I've been listening to it for about three years now, and it just never gets old. There are so many things that come to my mind when listening to it, so now I'm trying to write them all down. Since the chapters are going to be really short, I think I'll be able to put a new one online every two days or so, depending on how much time I have. I know there are other projects I should be working on, but now I suddenly had this idea and I'd really like to see how it turns out. It's a bit hard to write stories that are so very short and still meaningful, but luckily they don't have to stand on their own, as they are mostly ways to interprete the song they are based on. Well, I hope I'll be able to update as often and as quickly as I am planning to, and I hope you'll enjoy reading and listening to "There's a river in the valley made of melting snow".
...so the lake surrendered to the mountain...
PLEASE NOTE: I do not own Pokémon, and I have to say that I'm kind of proud of it, because the idea of capturing animal-like creatures to make them fight each other is pretty sick, actually. Be this as it may, every species of Pokémon referred to in the following text and everything else that is a part of the Pokémon franchise is the property of their rightful owner, however, the actual story belongs to me. The title belongs to Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band/ The Silver Mountain Reveries. No copyright infringement is intended.
Thank you.
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Have you never heard that there's a river in the valley made of melting snow...?
...so the lake surrendered to the mountain...
The first meeting...
"There's something wrong with the world," the Jigglypuff said. "I think that's pretty clear. Now, that brings us to an important question: What are we going to do about it?" He looked at the other three Pokémon, who were sitting in front of him, expecting an answer. For a while, nobody said anything.
"What is wrong with the world, anyway?" the Vulpix asked timidly. He looked from the Jigglypuff to the Sandshrew, who sighed deeply.
"Just about everything," she replied. This answer only seemed to further confuse the fire type, so she continued: "There's hatred and violence everywhere, and it's caused by unnecessary rivalry. Instead of working together, everyone acts like they're..."
"Complaining won't get us anywhere," the Bulbasaur interrupted her in an annoyed tone. "We're not here to whine, we're here to do something." The Sandshrew seemed a bit angry at first, but then she apparently decided to just keep quiet. Once again, there was silence.
"So... what are we going to do?" the Vulpix asked after a while. The Jigglypuff nodded.
"That is the question," he said. The Sandshrew rolled her eyes.
"We're just a bunch of children," she remarked. "There's not much we can do."
"Well," the Vulpix began reluctantly, "maybe we can talk to our parents and try to make them understand..."
"When have adults ever listened to children?" the Sandshrew spoke angrily. She shook her head. "They're always so certain about everything they do, and when you try to make them realize that most of it is completely nonsensical, all you get is "You're just a kid, you don't understand how the world works."" The female had stood up and was now gesturing wildly with her front paws, which made the Vulpix duck a little. "Don't you ever dare to disagree with your parents, they're always right and you're always wrong!" she shouted. "Don't even try thinking for yourself, because..."
"That's enough, we get what you're trying to say!" The Bulbasaur was glaring at her angrily. "We're all going to go deaf if you keep screaming like that." Before the Sandshrew could reply, the Jigglypuff quickly said:
"I think we should all try to calm down a bit." The Sandshrew stared at him for a moment, then nodded quietly and sat down again. The Jigglypuff breathed deeply. "It's true that there aren't many things we can do for now. Most likely, nobody will listen to us. We just have to figure out how the world could become a better place and then wait for our time to come." The Vulpix nodded, but the Bulbasaur grumbled lowly.
"When will that be?" he wanted to know. The Jigglypuff sighed.
"I have no idea," he admitted, "but I hope it'll be soon."
The third meeting...
"What about love?" the Vulpix asked lowly.
"What about it?" All the other Pokémon were suddenly looking at him. He blushed under his dense fur, not being used to so much attention. He quickly lowered his gaze.
"It's just... I was talking to my parents the other day, and they told me how they became mates..." He fell silent after these words.
"Yes?" the Jigglypuff said, trying to make the Vulpix continue talking.
"Well..." the fire type went on, "It... It turned out they didn't really fall in love or anything like that... My mother was very popular among males, a lot of Pokémon felt very attracted towards her, and... she stayed with my father because he was strong and knew how to assert himself..." The Vulpix fell silent again and slowly looked up. It seemed like the others were still expecting him to say something.
"...so... they didn't become mates because of love," he added. Finally, the Sandshrew nodded.
"That's awful," she said. "It's so very superficial."
"I agree," the Jigglypuff spoke. "A feeling of physical attraction and love are two entirely different things. Granted, you can also love someone while being attracted towards them, but..."
"What about the role of the female?" the Sandshrew suddenly asked. "In this example, a beautiful female seems to be nothing more than the prize for the strongest male." She shook her head. "The more I think about it, the angrier it makes me..."
"Please try not to yell again," the Bulbasaur sighed. The ground type's eyes narrowed.
"How am I not supposed to yell? Terrible things are happening all around us, and you say we should just not mind them at all?" The Bulbasaur rolled his eyes.
"I'm just saying there are more important things to deal with than this."
"I disagree," the Vulpix said. Once again, everyone looked at him. The Bulbasaur did not seem to be pleased. "I... I just think that love is something very important," the fire type added quickly.
"It's certainly something we'll have to keep in mind," the Jigglypuff spoke, his gaze resting on the Bulbasaur. "If we are to get rid of unnecessary rivalry, we cannot ignore such an example of being rewarded for being stronger than everyone else." The grass type kept his gaze locked with the Jigglypuff's.
"Alright, fine," he said after a while. "You're right."
The seventh meeting...
"I'm really sick of this..." The Jigglypuff was staring at the ground, mumbling to himself.
"What's wrong?" The deep voice still sounded a little unfamiliar. Just a few days ago, the Bulbasaur had evolved.
The Jigglypuff looked up. He had almost forgotten that his friends were there.
"Oh... I'm sorry, it's just that my parents got mad at me today because I lost in a training battle, and when I tried to tell them that I can't see the point in always competing against everyone, all they said was "That's what weaklings say!"" He sighed deeply and shook his head.
"Well... maybe they were right," the Vulpix remarked lowly. The Sandshrew immediately jumped to her hind paws.
"Are you insane?!" she shouted. However, before she could continue, the Jigglypuff said:
"No, he's right." Everyone turned towards him again. "We are weaklings," he went on, "and we should be proud of it. It is a good thing to choose not to fight. That is our way, and if we keep believing in it, the world will be a better place someday." A low grunting noise came from the Ivysaur. The Sandshrew immediately turned towards him.
"Is there anything you'd like to add?" she asked in a bitter tone. The Ivysaur looked from the Jigglypuff to the Sandshrew and back again.
"So far we haven't accomplished anything," he spoke in a rather cold tone.
"We will, if we just keep our goals in mind," the Sandshrew said quickly. "We'll be ready when our time comes."
The Jigglypuff and the Vulpix nodded silently.
The ninth meeting...
"This is ridiculous," the Ivysaur said angrily. "We're never going to get anywhere." The Sandshrew was staring at him in a way that showed that she was not too surprised, and the Vulpix was just looking at the ground.
"You've forgotten what this group stands for," the Jigglypuff stated. The Ivysaur shook his head.
"I still remember that very well," he replied calmly. "I just think it's stupid. Your time will never come." The Jigglypuff blinked.
"Our time," he said.
"Your time," the Ivysaur insisted. "I'll leave. The world has been the way it is now for hundreds of years. It's not going to change for the better. Besides..." a sly grin appeared on his face, "...there are other things I have to do." The Sandshrew nodded slowly.
"More important things, I assume," she spoke lowly. "Things concerning a representative of the other gender, I assume." The Ivysaur's grin became broader.
"Well, what can I say," he chuckled. "In any way, there's this female Ivysaur, and I guess I should better start to impress her, so..."
"Do you love her?" the Vulpix asked tonelessly. The grass type blinked.
"What? No, I don't think I do." The Vulpix kept his gaze lowered and swallowed.
"Then why do you want to..."
"Oh, come on!" the Ivysaur shouted in an amused tone. "She looks good, and I'm tired of being alone if you get what I mean." He performed an unambiguous motion with his hindquarters. The Sandshrew breathed deeply.
"Leave," she said, her voice shivering as she was having trouble containing herself. The Ivysaur kept grinning.
"That's what I'll do. Good luck with your childish dreams." He walked away.
The eleventh meeting...
"I'm not feeling well," the Jigglypuff said.
"That is the fate of the world," the Sandshrew mumbled. He looked up at her.
"Fate?" he repeated in a surprised, but tired tone. "I thought we didn't believe in that." The ground type shrugged. There was silence for a while.
"When will our time come?" the Vulpix then asked shyly. The Jigglypuff closed his eyes.
"That'll take a few more years," he said. The fire type suddenly seemed to be frightened.
"Years?" he asked, his voice shivering. "But... what will we do until then?"
"I've already told you," the Jigglypuff replied. "We'll wait, and we'll keep thinking." The fire type became increasingly nervous.
"I... I... I don't know, if... I mean... I hate to disappoint my parents, and... They're already saying I... I should..." He fell silent as he noticed how the others were looking at him.
"You can go," the Jigglypuff mumbled. "I can tell you don't really want to be here. That's alright. We'll carry on without you." The Sandshrew looked angry, but the Jigglypuff just seemed to be tired. The Vulpix quickly lowered his gaze again.
"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I... I'm really sorry..."
The fourteenth meeting...
"My... My parents want me to get together with a Croconaw," the Sandshrew spoke lowly.
"I see," the Jigglypuff said.
"I went to see him yesterday. He seems like a very nice person." The Sandshrew was staring at the ground., fumbling around with her front paws a little.
"I see," the Jigglypuff said.
"My parents said he'd be the right one for me to have children with one day," the ground type continued, her voice now getting even lower.
"I see," the Jigglypuff said.
"He... He's pretty strong, he can protect me and our children," she mumbled.
"I see," the Jigglypuff said.
"Maybe... Maybe, in some cases, we... we just have to settle with what is more practical..."
"I see," the Jigglypuff said.
There were no more meetings after this.
Years later...
"Hello... do you remember me?" The Sandslash had suddenly stepped out of the forest. The Wigglytuff blinked, then he nodded.
"Yes," he replied. "I remember everything."
"I... I was just wondering..." she spoke lowly, her head hung low, "do you still think our time will come someday...?" The Wigglytuff looked at her for a long moment.
"What about your mate?" he asked. The Sandslash sighed deeply.
"He left me with two children," she said, then raised her head. "I... I shouldn't have..." She swallowed. "I want my children to grow up in a better world," the Sandslash continued. "We're older now... Maybe we can start over?" Another moment of silence passed.
"We can't," the Wigglytuff said tonelessly. "I gave up when you all left me."
He walked past the Sandslash and into the forest, leaving her behind.
(1990 words)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End Notes:This ends the tenth chapter. It might have been a bit low on descriptions, but that's because it needed to have so much dialogue. I hope that didn't make it less enjoyable to read. In any way, if there's anything you'd like to say regarding this or any of my other stories, please write a review or send an email to [email protected] . I really should be able to upload the next chapter tomorrow, it'll be called "...and the mountain's heart did fucking break..." Well... I hope everything will be alright for everyone reading this, and for everyone else as well.
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal
Thank you.
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...so the lake surrendered to the mountain...
The first meeting...
"There's something wrong with the world," the Jigglypuff said. "I think that's pretty clear. Now, that brings us to an important question: What are we going to do about it?" He looked at the other three Pokémon, who were sitting in front of him, expecting an answer. For a while, nobody said anything.
"What is wrong with the world, anyway?" the Vulpix asked timidly. He looked from the Jigglypuff to the Sandshrew, who sighed deeply.
"Just about everything," she replied. This answer only seemed to further confuse the fire type, so she continued: "There's hatred and violence everywhere, and it's caused by unnecessary rivalry. Instead of working together, everyone acts like they're..."
"Complaining won't get us anywhere," the Bulbasaur interrupted her in an annoyed tone. "We're not here to whine, we're here to do something." The Sandshrew seemed a bit angry at first, but then she apparently decided to just keep quiet. Once again, there was silence.
"So... what are we going to do?" the Vulpix asked after a while. The Jigglypuff nodded.
"That is the question," he said. The Sandshrew rolled her eyes.
"We're just a bunch of children," she remarked. "There's not much we can do."
"Well," the Vulpix began reluctantly, "maybe we can talk to our parents and try to make them understand..."
"When have adults ever listened to children?" the Sandshrew spoke angrily. She shook her head. "They're always so certain about everything they do, and when you try to make them realize that most of it is completely nonsensical, all you get is "You're just a kid, you don't understand how the world works."" The female had stood up and was now gesturing wildly with her front paws, which made the Vulpix duck a little. "Don't you ever dare to disagree with your parents, they're always right and you're always wrong!" she shouted. "Don't even try thinking for yourself, because..."
"That's enough, we get what you're trying to say!" The Bulbasaur was glaring at her angrily. "We're all going to go deaf if you keep screaming like that." Before the Sandshrew could reply, the Jigglypuff quickly said:
"I think we should all try to calm down a bit." The Sandshrew stared at him for a moment, then nodded quietly and sat down again. The Jigglypuff breathed deeply. "It's true that there aren't many things we can do for now. Most likely, nobody will listen to us. We just have to figure out how the world could become a better place and then wait for our time to come." The Vulpix nodded, but the Bulbasaur grumbled lowly.
"When will that be?" he wanted to know. The Jigglypuff sighed.
"I have no idea," he admitted, "but I hope it'll be soon."
The third meeting...
"What about love?" the Vulpix asked lowly.
"What about it?" All the other Pokémon were suddenly looking at him. He blushed under his dense fur, not being used to so much attention. He quickly lowered his gaze.
"It's just... I was talking to my parents the other day, and they told me how they became mates..." He fell silent after these words.
"Yes?" the Jigglypuff said, trying to make the Vulpix continue talking.
"Well..." the fire type went on, "It... It turned out they didn't really fall in love or anything like that... My mother was very popular among males, a lot of Pokémon felt very attracted towards her, and... she stayed with my father because he was strong and knew how to assert himself..." The Vulpix fell silent again and slowly looked up. It seemed like the others were still expecting him to say something.
"...so... they didn't become mates because of love," he added. Finally, the Sandshrew nodded.
"That's awful," she said. "It's so very superficial."
"I agree," the Jigglypuff spoke. "A feeling of physical attraction and love are two entirely different things. Granted, you can also love someone while being attracted towards them, but..."
"What about the role of the female?" the Sandshrew suddenly asked. "In this example, a beautiful female seems to be nothing more than the prize for the strongest male." She shook her head. "The more I think about it, the angrier it makes me..."
"Please try not to yell again," the Bulbasaur sighed. The ground type's eyes narrowed.
"How am I not supposed to yell? Terrible things are happening all around us, and you say we should just not mind them at all?" The Bulbasaur rolled his eyes.
"I'm just saying there are more important things to deal with than this."
"I disagree," the Vulpix said. Once again, everyone looked at him. The Bulbasaur did not seem to be pleased. "I... I just think that love is something very important," the fire type added quickly.
"It's certainly something we'll have to keep in mind," the Jigglypuff spoke, his gaze resting on the Bulbasaur. "If we are to get rid of unnecessary rivalry, we cannot ignore such an example of being rewarded for being stronger than everyone else." The grass type kept his gaze locked with the Jigglypuff's.
"Alright, fine," he said after a while. "You're right."
The seventh meeting...
"I'm really sick of this..." The Jigglypuff was staring at the ground, mumbling to himself.
"What's wrong?" The deep voice still sounded a little unfamiliar. Just a few days ago, the Bulbasaur had evolved.
The Jigglypuff looked up. He had almost forgotten that his friends were there.
"Oh... I'm sorry, it's just that my parents got mad at me today because I lost in a training battle, and when I tried to tell them that I can't see the point in always competing against everyone, all they said was "That's what weaklings say!"" He sighed deeply and shook his head.
"Well... maybe they were right," the Vulpix remarked lowly. The Sandshrew immediately jumped to her hind paws.
"Are you insane?!" she shouted. However, before she could continue, the Jigglypuff said:
"No, he's right." Everyone turned towards him again. "We are weaklings," he went on, "and we should be proud of it. It is a good thing to choose not to fight. That is our way, and if we keep believing in it, the world will be a better place someday." A low grunting noise came from the Ivysaur. The Sandshrew immediately turned towards him.
"Is there anything you'd like to add?" she asked in a bitter tone. The Ivysaur looked from the Jigglypuff to the Sandshrew and back again.
"So far we haven't accomplished anything," he spoke in a rather cold tone.
"We will, if we just keep our goals in mind," the Sandshrew said quickly. "We'll be ready when our time comes."
The Jigglypuff and the Vulpix nodded silently.
The ninth meeting...
"This is ridiculous," the Ivysaur said angrily. "We're never going to get anywhere." The Sandshrew was staring at him in a way that showed that she was not too surprised, and the Vulpix was just looking at the ground.
"You've forgotten what this group stands for," the Jigglypuff stated. The Ivysaur shook his head.
"I still remember that very well," he replied calmly. "I just think it's stupid. Your time will never come." The Jigglypuff blinked.
"Our time," he said.
"Your time," the Ivysaur insisted. "I'll leave. The world has been the way it is now for hundreds of years. It's not going to change for the better. Besides..." a sly grin appeared on his face, "...there are other things I have to do." The Sandshrew nodded slowly.
"More important things, I assume," she spoke lowly. "Things concerning a representative of the other gender, I assume." The Ivysaur's grin became broader.
"Well, what can I say," he chuckled. "In any way, there's this female Ivysaur, and I guess I should better start to impress her, so..."
"Do you love her?" the Vulpix asked tonelessly. The grass type blinked.
"What? No, I don't think I do." The Vulpix kept his gaze lowered and swallowed.
"Then why do you want to..."
"Oh, come on!" the Ivysaur shouted in an amused tone. "She looks good, and I'm tired of being alone if you get what I mean." He performed an unambiguous motion with his hindquarters. The Sandshrew breathed deeply.
"Leave," she said, her voice shivering as she was having trouble containing herself. The Ivysaur kept grinning.
"That's what I'll do. Good luck with your childish dreams." He walked away.
The eleventh meeting...
"I'm not feeling well," the Jigglypuff said.
"That is the fate of the world," the Sandshrew mumbled. He looked up at her.
"Fate?" he repeated in a surprised, but tired tone. "I thought we didn't believe in that." The ground type shrugged. There was silence for a while.
"When will our time come?" the Vulpix then asked shyly. The Jigglypuff closed his eyes.
"That'll take a few more years," he said. The fire type suddenly seemed to be frightened.
"Years?" he asked, his voice shivering. "But... what will we do until then?"
"I've already told you," the Jigglypuff replied. "We'll wait, and we'll keep thinking." The fire type became increasingly nervous.
"I... I... I don't know, if... I mean... I hate to disappoint my parents, and... They're already saying I... I should..." He fell silent as he noticed how the others were looking at him.
"You can go," the Jigglypuff mumbled. "I can tell you don't really want to be here. That's alright. We'll carry on without you." The Sandshrew looked angry, but the Jigglypuff just seemed to be tired. The Vulpix quickly lowered his gaze again.
"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I... I'm really sorry..."
The fourteenth meeting...
"My... My parents want me to get together with a Croconaw," the Sandshrew spoke lowly.
"I see," the Jigglypuff said.
"I went to see him yesterday. He seems like a very nice person." The Sandshrew was staring at the ground., fumbling around with her front paws a little.
"I see," the Jigglypuff said.
"My parents said he'd be the right one for me to have children with one day," the ground type continued, her voice now getting even lower.
"I see," the Jigglypuff said.
"He... He's pretty strong, he can protect me and our children," she mumbled.
"I see," the Jigglypuff said.
"Maybe... Maybe, in some cases, we... we just have to settle with what is more practical..."
"I see," the Jigglypuff said.
There were no more meetings after this.
Years later...
"Hello... do you remember me?" The Sandslash had suddenly stepped out of the forest. The Wigglytuff blinked, then he nodded.
"Yes," he replied. "I remember everything."
"I... I was just wondering..." she spoke lowly, her head hung low, "do you still think our time will come someday...?" The Wigglytuff looked at her for a long moment.
"What about your mate?" he asked. The Sandslash sighed deeply.
"He left me with two children," she said, then raised her head. "I... I shouldn't have..." She swallowed. "I want my children to grow up in a better world," the Sandslash continued. "We're older now... Maybe we can start over?" Another moment of silence passed.
"We can't," the Wigglytuff said tonelessly. "I gave up when you all left me."
He walked past the Sandslash and into the forest, leaving her behind.
(1990 words)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter End Notes:This ends the tenth chapter. It might have been a bit low on descriptions, but that's because it needed to have so much dialogue. I hope that didn't make it less enjoyable to read. In any way, if there's anything you'd like to say regarding this or any of my other stories, please write a review or send an email to [email protected] . I really should be able to upload the next chapter tomorrow, it'll be called "...and the mountain's heart did fucking break..." Well... I hope everything will be alright for everyone reading this, and for everyone else as well.
Please be free...
-- Lion vom Silberwal