Story Notes:
I wrote this for FanFiction, but feel compelled to put it here for you! I'm told this is a good story, and I like to get reviews... can you guess where I'm going with this? Read and leave your comments! If you really want to read more about Leo and Terra and their crazy adventures, then go to fanfics! If your a little patient, then all the chapters will be here eventually.
The Planes
Leo
Ember had refused to leave. She said she needed a day to be dry and happy before traveling again, and I had to agree. The Pokemon Center was over-booked, so we rented a room in a nice hotel near the gym. I wasn't there, I was walking around the town square. It was adorned with a fountain, and full of aspiring trainers. I was in a simple human form, nothing but the basics, like shorts and a T-shirt. The dome around the town acted as a greenhouse; it made the air warm and humid while keeping the weather out.
I was about to leave when I was stopped by shouting. I looked back and saw a pair of trainers near the fountain, glaring each other down. Around them, a crowd was beginning to form. Overcome by curiosity, I walked over. I callously pushed through the crowd and stopped at the edge of the circle.
"And I say that's bull shit!" A young man in a blue shirt screamed at another man. The former was rather ordinary, but his opponent caught my attention. He was an average height, six feet or so, pale, scrawny, and almost bored looking. He had shaggy blue hair, hanging over confident black eyes. Over his left cheek, he had a yellow bandage and in his mouth, a long-stemmed pipe. He wasn't wearing shoes. He wore a blue tunic loosely, and I could see bandages rapped around his stomach.
"Is not, you're just a sore loser. I can't believe he wanted to battle such a weak trainer." He sighed. His voice was soaked in indifference. The way he spoke showed he had heard this before.
"There's even more bull shit!" The trainer shrieked again, his voice cracking slightly. "How can a pokemon ask you to battle if it doesn't even speak? You don't even have a translator!" The older man shrugged.
"Don't be angry that I'm in greater touch with my pokemon than you are. It is neither mine, nor your fault that you're ignorant." He reached a hand inside his tunic and pulled out a small jumble of metal and wires. He closed his palms around it, cutting off my view. He picked at it as he talked. "I've spent long enough with Jengan to know what he wants. Once he stepped on the field, you didn't have a chance. Just go home kid, you lost." He opened his hands for the crowd to see a small metal pidgey. There was a collective gasp from the crowd as it took flight, and then another as it exploded."Damn it, I thought it would work that time."
The younger trainer gritted his teeth and stomped forward. He stopped a foot in front of the man. "You're not even paying attention to my words!" He raged. I could see veins bulging from his head, his hands balled into tight fists at his sides. I tensed, feeling the rising heat between the two. I looked at the older man, hoping he would see what I did, and calm the fury of the boy.
He didn't. "Why would I pay for a product that has no value?" The younger trainer roared and pulled his fist back. I lunged forward and grabbed his wrist before he could complete the action. The man smiled.
I spoke loud enough to be heard. "I feel that's completely unnecessary. Rage is pointless. If you lost to this man, then it's because he's the better. If you don't like it, then go train. Be better and you won't have this problem again. I don't like you, mainly for the little stunt you just pulled, but also for who you are. You seem like the kind of person that uses his pokemon as tools. I warn you, I have violent tendencies around such people. If you would like to avoid an accident, I suggest you leave."I finished my speech and dropped the boys arm, which fell limp at his side. He looked at me nervously. I sniffed the air and looked down; the boy had a stain growing around his groin. He noticed. With one look at the man, he took off.
The crowd stared at me, but began to disperse. I sighed and turned to the man, who was grinning widely.
"I like you, you're interesting." He said. I laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
"Odd way to greet someone, but it isn't the first time I've heard it. Leo." I introduced myself and held out my hand. He took it and shook firmly.
"Well met, Leo. My name is Alphonso Rutledge Buchanan." I blinked.
"Interesting name. May I ask, what was the problem with the kid?" Alphonso sighed.
"It's the same thing every time." He said and shook his head.
"And what might that be?"
"My pokemon." He brushed his hair over his head. "My croagunk, specifically. He's smart, incredibly smart, and knows things he shouldn't. People always get mad because they feel cheated." I shook my head.
"I know the feeling. I've always known too much for my own good." I looked around. "Well, glad I could help, but I really must be going." I turned to look back at Alphonso, but he wasn't there. I saw him at the edge of the square, waving back. Smiling, I waved, turning to leave when I heard my name called. Glancing around, I saw Raina, in half-breed form, standing in the shadows of an alley. She beckoned me with a finger and disappeared.
I walked down the alley and saw no trace of her. I was about to dismiss it as my imagination when I saw the tips of her tails retreat behind a corner. I ran this time, hoping to catch her, but came up empty handed yet again. There was an intersection ahead of me. I watched it closely, looking for vanishing tails. I saw them go left and followed. I continued the chase through the shadows of the city, sticking to the alleys.
I was running now, trying my best to get to Raina, but somehow she eluded me. I was sprinting, following the elusive tails around another corner, when I was met with running's worst enemy, a wall.
I skidded to a stop, pressing my hands to the cool cement as brakes. I paused to catch my breath and looked around. Nothing. There were no windows, no doors, and no way out. I was about to admit to myself that I had finally gone crazy, when something hit my head. I looked up and saw Raina's tail's passing over the edge of the roof in a shower of gravel. I shielded my eyes and looked again. They were gone. I growled my annoyance and began scaling the walls. The alley was narrow, allowing me to jump back and forth between the walls and climb quickly.
When I reached the top, I grabbed the eave and pulled myself onto the flat roof. I rolled once and shot to my feet. I searched and found Raina standing on another building, several floors taller than the one I was on. She smiled down at me.
"You're getting slow, Bellrauthien."She called. I growled at the mention of my name. I didn't like that it brought back the memory of a particular conversation. I was about to tell Raina, but she began running again. Sighing, I took off after her. I used my stores of extreme strength to leap up onto the higher roof. When I landed, Raina was already dropping down onto the next building. I ran to the edge and watched her run for a moment. She had a long, loping stride. It reminded me of the leaping run that stantler used. When she reached the edge of the building she was on, she bunched her legs beneath her and sprang out. She landed on her hands, rolled, and continued running. I smiled. Dropping down, I ran after her.
She led me to the edge of the town, right to the barrier. She stopped, then and turned to me. I ran up to her and stopped. I immediately noticed she was serious. She had an air about her that meant she was teaching.
"It's been too long since we trained, Bellrauthien." I sighed.
"Please don't call me that. Call me Leo." She shook her head.
"Leo is not your name. Bellrauthien is, and I won't address you as anything different, around everyone else, maybe. But when we're alone, that's what I'll call you, or I'll use Raunien. Anything else is not fitting." I shook my head but relented.
"Could you at least tell me how you know? And, if I remember correctly, you said something about my parents. I want to know." She smiled, probably expecting this.
"Of course, but not here. Today we will learn to traverse the Plains of Existence." My eyes widened in surprise. In the labs where I grew up, the Plains of Existence were only a theory. But here I was, being given a free pass to see them. I grinned and nodded, as did Raina. "We'll be going to an elemental plane first; they are the easiest to reach."
"Which element?" I asked. Raina looked at me with a twinkle in her eye.
"Fire. To traverse planes, you must embrace their essence. You must focus on fire, every attribute of it, everything it represents. Close your eyes and imagine a flame. Embrace it, allow the heat to fill you and pull you into its dimension." I nodded and closed my eyes. I saw nothing at first. I focused on the element, bringing it to life. It started as a small glow, but soon it was a bright, roaring fireball. I expected it to be red, but the yellow tongues of fire said otherwise. I brought the flame closer, and I imagined myself encased in its burning center. Suddenly, I was surrounded with intense heat. It was no longer mental, but my fur burned with how hot the air was. I opened my eyes and looked around.
I gasped at the shifting, molten landscape. Everything was burning. The smell of sulfur was heavy, and it threatened to gag me. I was standing on a piece of black stone. It moved slowly across lava flowing just feet away from spurts of flame erupted from the surface, flashing into the black sky before dispersing. The heat was nearly unbearable, but I was determined to endure. All across the ocean of fire, other fire elementals floated on their own islands of rock. Across the sky, flew their flying brethren. I looked around, hoping to see Raina, but was met with something far more terrifying.
Rising from the magma was a huge shape. Molten rock cascaded off its sides, revealing a massive Heatran. Bits of rock, that probably weighed several tons, fell from his body. They crashed down in the molten sea and added to the effect just a little. His eyes were emotionless, staring me down as if I was a shrub in his path. When he spoke, ripples formed around his legs. His voice was deep and powerful, but at the same time strained, as if he was an old man.
"Welcome to my domain, Bellrauthien. I have been expecting you." I stared up into his calm eyes, confused.
"How could you have been waiting for me, and why?" Even when I yelled, I couldn't come close to the massive power that Heatran had.
He chuckled, causing small waves to form. "Has no one told you? Well, first let me tell you that I have a connection with all fire types, being as I control their domain. Every fire type you see around you, isn't really there. Our spirits are bound to this plane, but we may never be aware of it." I nodded.
"But what does this have to do with me?" Heatran laughed again, harder, and larger waves of lava began to rock my island.
"I guess you should know, especially if she hasn't told you yet." His eyes seemed to sparkle with amusement, the first thing I'd seen in that blank stare of his. "First, I am Raina's father. It is where she gets her power." I nodded, it made sense. "And second, she is-" He was cut off by a blinding light. I was forced to shove a hand to my face for protection. When it ceased I dared to peek.
Raina was standing next to me on my island, glaring up at her father, Heatran. She was fully ninetales, her true state, probably forced into it by this realm. When I looked at Heatran, he was smiling.
"Hello, Raina. What brings you home?" He rumbled. Raina glared up at him for another few seconds, but finally sighed and sat on her haunches.
"I'm fine, Father. I wanted to teach Bellrauthien here, I thought it would be enlightening. Besides, it has been a long time since I last saw the Sun." She smiled. I looked around and gasped.
"We're on the Sun?" I cut in. "I assumed we were in some sort of different dimension that was a volcano. The Sun?" Raina nodded.
"What you perceive as the planets, are really the separate realms of the elements. Mercury is the realm of rock and steel types. Venus is the realm of dragon types. Earth is the realm of normal types, fighting types, flying types, bug pokemon, and grass types, but encompasses all life. Mars is the realm of ground types. Jupiter is the realm of poison types. Saturn is the realm psychic types, but they also dominate the Moon. Uranus is the realm of electric types. Neptune is the realm of water and ice types, and Pluto is the realm of dark and ghost types." She counted them all off on her fingers as she went. She smiled when she finished. "There, I'm teaching you already." She turned to Heatran. "It was nice seeing you father, but it's time to go educate." Heatran nodded and began to sink back below the surface of the Sun. Before he was completely submerged, I could've sworn he winked at me.
When I looked back at Raina, she was looking across horizon. I walked next to her and looked out as well.
"What are we looking for?" I asked. She broke her trance and turned to me.
"Today we will be learning how to read thoughts, and it's easier to read the thoughts of spirits in their plane." She continued searching. I looked out as well. There were thousands, if not millions, of pokemon. As I looked through them, I began to notice more and more some that didn't look quite right. It seemed as if I was looking at them through a haze and couldn't get the real picture. I saw this several times before I thought to ask Raina.
"Why is it that some of the pokemon are difficult to see?" Raina turned to me again and smiled.
"I'm glad you asked. Come on." She took off and started running along the surface of the lava. I hesitated, but followed. Running wasn't harder, it was just... weird. The surface of the Sun gave slightly as you stepped on it. It was like trying to run on a trampoline that didn't want to bounce back.
I followed Raina to one of the hazy figures on a rock island, like I had been. As we got closer it became more defined, and it was when we stood beside it that I realized what it was.
"It's a half-breed." I said simply. I wasn't really surprised. A half-breed flareon was crouched in front of me. I couldn't see what it was crouched over, but it looked like it was eating.
"Yes," Raina said, "They are hazy because their pokemon half belongs here, but their human half is not welcome. It is for this reason that half-breeds are such outcasts. They don't really belong anywhere. We don't exactly have a half-breed legendary to rule their realm." I thought about that for a long time. It made a lot of sense.
"Why am I welcome here? I'm a half-breed after all. Heatran, your father, even said he was expecting me." I said. Raina sighed.
"You're... special. Your power allows you to visit all of the planes, though your greeting at the others might not be so friendly." The possibilities boggled my mind. I shook it off for now. We had come for a reason.
"So, how do you read minds?" I asked. Raina smiled and closed her eyes.
"Concentrate and extend your consciousness toward your target. It's really very simple." She said almost in a trance. I closed my eyes and followed her example. I pictured flareon, I imagined myself in its position. I tried to picture what it was eating, rattata maybe, or a pidgey.
Suddenly, I felt extremely dizzy. I could feel myself falling, and hear Raina call out to me. It was like I was falling asleep faster then I could fight.
When I opened my eyes I was no longer on the Sun. I was in a small room. I tried to look around, but I couldn't move. I began to panic. From what I could see I was in a cage. In front of me was a bowel of some sickly slime. I was even more terrified to see my hand scooping some of the disgusting fluid towards my mouth. My hand... was red.
The realization hit me hard. I wasn't in my own body. I was seeing what the flareon saw. Along with the realization cam a flood of thoughts that weren't my own.
...This is disgusting, but I'm so hungry. How long have I been here? Where is here? I miss my family. Why can't I melt these bars? This is disgusting...
Images came along with the thoughts. I saw his troubles, his hopes, his fears, and it made me angry. He was captured by someone for who knows what purpose, and was dragged away from a life he had. He was probably going to become a test subject, a machine that they, who ever they were, thought they could just tinker with until it worked how they wanted it too. It made me want to scream, and I did. I released my anger in a mental curse. It was strong, and apparently it didn't go unnoticed. The flareon had stopped eating and was looking around.
What was that? I could have sworn someone just screamed. Maybe it was just my imagination.
He went back to eating, but I realized I could speak with him. I decided it was worth a try.
"Hello?" I called out. I tried to say it aloud, hoping it would carry better, and maybe he would hear it. He did.
I definitely heard something that time.
"Hello? Who are you?" I asked. The flareon shot up. It looked around frantically.
Something is wrong, It thought, every time someone comes in here, they echo. Why isn't there an echo?
"Listen," I said calmly, "I'm not in the room. My name is Leo, and I want to help you." He didn't listen. He began screaming.
"Get out of my head! Get out of my head!" The power of it forced me to clamp down on my own mental identity, or else I might have lost myself in his mind. He became more forceful, and soon his screams deteriorated into unintelligible wailing. I lost my connection with his senses and was left floating in a sea of black screams.
It seemed eternity before the screams began to take shape again. I could hear my name in them, and I threw myself at the sound. Senses slowly came back to me. I felt intense heat first. Then direction returned, and I found myself lying on my back. I could smell and taste sulfur, and it forced me to cough. I heard Raina's voice, and it became my focal point.
"Leo! Leo, oh thank Arceus you're alive. Leo. Leo! Speak to me Leo!" I opened my eyes and was greeted by the intense light that was the Sun.
"Raina?" I coughed out, "What happened?" She sighed with relief and started petting my head. I hadn't realized before my head was in her lap. I looked up into her face and realized something else. "You're in your half-breed form." She laughed.
"You notice the strangest things Leo." She smiled, and I smiled back.
"You're calling me Leo." She laughed again and nodded. We stayed like that for a time, her petting my head, and me wheezing.
"What happened..."
She said distantly, "That's a good question. You were concentrating, then you just collapsed. You weren't breathing, I thought you were dead." A tear rolled down her cheek, but she wiped it away and composed herself. "So the question is yours. What happened?" I looked at her face.
"I saw what the flareon saw." She sighed and shook her head. "What's wrong?" I asked.
She smiled. "You're growing by leaps and bounds. What you did was mental transference, the actual movement of your consciousness to another living creatures. It comes after mind reading." I laughed, coughed, and laughed some more.
"Well," I said, "I learned something today, and that's that I need sleep." I laughed with Raina.
"Fine, sleep. When you wake up we'll be home." I nodded and closed my eyes. As I drifted off I heard Raina humming. It was an eerily familiar tune, and it calmed my mind. It faintly reminded me of my much more pleasant childhood.Chapter End Notes:Couple interesting things in that. Lots to review on. Again I apologize for my lateness, next chapter will be soon. Like, Friday. Thanks for reading, please review
Ember had refused to leave. She said she needed a day to be dry and happy before traveling again, and I had to agree. The Pokemon Center was over-booked, so we rented a room in a nice hotel near the gym. I wasn't there, I was walking around the town square. It was adorned with a fountain, and full of aspiring trainers. I was in a simple human form, nothing but the basics, like shorts and a T-shirt. The dome around the town acted as a greenhouse; it made the air warm and humid while keeping the weather out.
I was about to leave when I was stopped by shouting. I looked back and saw a pair of trainers near the fountain, glaring each other down. Around them, a crowd was beginning to form. Overcome by curiosity, I walked over. I callously pushed through the crowd and stopped at the edge of the circle.
"And I say that's bull shit!" A young man in a blue shirt screamed at another man. The former was rather ordinary, but his opponent caught my attention. He was an average height, six feet or so, pale, scrawny, and almost bored looking. He had shaggy blue hair, hanging over confident black eyes. Over his left cheek, he had a yellow bandage and in his mouth, a long-stemmed pipe. He wasn't wearing shoes. He wore a blue tunic loosely, and I could see bandages rapped around his stomach.
"Is not, you're just a sore loser. I can't believe he wanted to battle such a weak trainer." He sighed. His voice was soaked in indifference. The way he spoke showed he had heard this before.
"There's even more bull shit!" The trainer shrieked again, his voice cracking slightly. "How can a pokemon ask you to battle if it doesn't even speak? You don't even have a translator!" The older man shrugged.
"Don't be angry that I'm in greater touch with my pokemon than you are. It is neither mine, nor your fault that you're ignorant." He reached a hand inside his tunic and pulled out a small jumble of metal and wires. He closed his palms around it, cutting off my view. He picked at it as he talked. "I've spent long enough with Jengan to know what he wants. Once he stepped on the field, you didn't have a chance. Just go home kid, you lost." He opened his hands for the crowd to see a small metal pidgey. There was a collective gasp from the crowd as it took flight, and then another as it exploded."Damn it, I thought it would work that time."
The younger trainer gritted his teeth and stomped forward. He stopped a foot in front of the man. "You're not even paying attention to my words!" He raged. I could see veins bulging from his head, his hands balled into tight fists at his sides. I tensed, feeling the rising heat between the two. I looked at the older man, hoping he would see what I did, and calm the fury of the boy.
He didn't. "Why would I pay for a product that has no value?" The younger trainer roared and pulled his fist back. I lunged forward and grabbed his wrist before he could complete the action. The man smiled.
I spoke loud enough to be heard. "I feel that's completely unnecessary. Rage is pointless. If you lost to this man, then it's because he's the better. If you don't like it, then go train. Be better and you won't have this problem again. I don't like you, mainly for the little stunt you just pulled, but also for who you are. You seem like the kind of person that uses his pokemon as tools. I warn you, I have violent tendencies around such people. If you would like to avoid an accident, I suggest you leave."I finished my speech and dropped the boys arm, which fell limp at his side. He looked at me nervously. I sniffed the air and looked down; the boy had a stain growing around his groin. He noticed. With one look at the man, he took off.
The crowd stared at me, but began to disperse. I sighed and turned to the man, who was grinning widely.
"I like you, you're interesting." He said. I laughed and patted him on the shoulder.
"Odd way to greet someone, but it isn't the first time I've heard it. Leo." I introduced myself and held out my hand. He took it and shook firmly.
"Well met, Leo. My name is Alphonso Rutledge Buchanan." I blinked.
"Interesting name. May I ask, what was the problem with the kid?" Alphonso sighed.
"It's the same thing every time." He said and shook his head.
"And what might that be?"
"My pokemon." He brushed his hair over his head. "My croagunk, specifically. He's smart, incredibly smart, and knows things he shouldn't. People always get mad because they feel cheated." I shook my head.
"I know the feeling. I've always known too much for my own good." I looked around. "Well, glad I could help, but I really must be going." I turned to look back at Alphonso, but he wasn't there. I saw him at the edge of the square, waving back. Smiling, I waved, turning to leave when I heard my name called. Glancing around, I saw Raina, in half-breed form, standing in the shadows of an alley. She beckoned me with a finger and disappeared.
I walked down the alley and saw no trace of her. I was about to dismiss it as my imagination when I saw the tips of her tails retreat behind a corner. I ran this time, hoping to catch her, but came up empty handed yet again. There was an intersection ahead of me. I watched it closely, looking for vanishing tails. I saw them go left and followed. I continued the chase through the shadows of the city, sticking to the alleys.
I was running now, trying my best to get to Raina, but somehow she eluded me. I was sprinting, following the elusive tails around another corner, when I was met with running's worst enemy, a wall.
I skidded to a stop, pressing my hands to the cool cement as brakes. I paused to catch my breath and looked around. Nothing. There were no windows, no doors, and no way out. I was about to admit to myself that I had finally gone crazy, when something hit my head. I looked up and saw Raina's tail's passing over the edge of the roof in a shower of gravel. I shielded my eyes and looked again. They were gone. I growled my annoyance and began scaling the walls. The alley was narrow, allowing me to jump back and forth between the walls and climb quickly.
When I reached the top, I grabbed the eave and pulled myself onto the flat roof. I rolled once and shot to my feet. I searched and found Raina standing on another building, several floors taller than the one I was on. She smiled down at me.
"You're getting slow, Bellrauthien."She called. I growled at the mention of my name. I didn't like that it brought back the memory of a particular conversation. I was about to tell Raina, but she began running again. Sighing, I took off after her. I used my stores of extreme strength to leap up onto the higher roof. When I landed, Raina was already dropping down onto the next building. I ran to the edge and watched her run for a moment. She had a long, loping stride. It reminded me of the leaping run that stantler used. When she reached the edge of the building she was on, she bunched her legs beneath her and sprang out. She landed on her hands, rolled, and continued running. I smiled. Dropping down, I ran after her.
She led me to the edge of the town, right to the barrier. She stopped, then and turned to me. I ran up to her and stopped. I immediately noticed she was serious. She had an air about her that meant she was teaching.
"It's been too long since we trained, Bellrauthien." I sighed.
"Please don't call me that. Call me Leo." She shook her head.
"Leo is not your name. Bellrauthien is, and I won't address you as anything different, around everyone else, maybe. But when we're alone, that's what I'll call you, or I'll use Raunien. Anything else is not fitting." I shook my head but relented.
"Could you at least tell me how you know? And, if I remember correctly, you said something about my parents. I want to know." She smiled, probably expecting this.
"Of course, but not here. Today we will learn to traverse the Plains of Existence." My eyes widened in surprise. In the labs where I grew up, the Plains of Existence were only a theory. But here I was, being given a free pass to see them. I grinned and nodded, as did Raina. "We'll be going to an elemental plane first; they are the easiest to reach."
"Which element?" I asked. Raina looked at me with a twinkle in her eye.
"Fire. To traverse planes, you must embrace their essence. You must focus on fire, every attribute of it, everything it represents. Close your eyes and imagine a flame. Embrace it, allow the heat to fill you and pull you into its dimension." I nodded and closed my eyes. I saw nothing at first. I focused on the element, bringing it to life. It started as a small glow, but soon it was a bright, roaring fireball. I expected it to be red, but the yellow tongues of fire said otherwise. I brought the flame closer, and I imagined myself encased in its burning center. Suddenly, I was surrounded with intense heat. It was no longer mental, but my fur burned with how hot the air was. I opened my eyes and looked around.
I gasped at the shifting, molten landscape. Everything was burning. The smell of sulfur was heavy, and it threatened to gag me. I was standing on a piece of black stone. It moved slowly across lava flowing just feet away from spurts of flame erupted from the surface, flashing into the black sky before dispersing. The heat was nearly unbearable, but I was determined to endure. All across the ocean of fire, other fire elementals floated on their own islands of rock. Across the sky, flew their flying brethren. I looked around, hoping to see Raina, but was met with something far more terrifying.
Rising from the magma was a huge shape. Molten rock cascaded off its sides, revealing a massive Heatran. Bits of rock, that probably weighed several tons, fell from his body. They crashed down in the molten sea and added to the effect just a little. His eyes were emotionless, staring me down as if I was a shrub in his path. When he spoke, ripples formed around his legs. His voice was deep and powerful, but at the same time strained, as if he was an old man.
"Welcome to my domain, Bellrauthien. I have been expecting you." I stared up into his calm eyes, confused.
"How could you have been waiting for me, and why?" Even when I yelled, I couldn't come close to the massive power that Heatran had.
He chuckled, causing small waves to form. "Has no one told you? Well, first let me tell you that I have a connection with all fire types, being as I control their domain. Every fire type you see around you, isn't really there. Our spirits are bound to this plane, but we may never be aware of it." I nodded.
"But what does this have to do with me?" Heatran laughed again, harder, and larger waves of lava began to rock my island.
"I guess you should know, especially if she hasn't told you yet." His eyes seemed to sparkle with amusement, the first thing I'd seen in that blank stare of his. "First, I am Raina's father. It is where she gets her power." I nodded, it made sense. "And second, she is-" He was cut off by a blinding light. I was forced to shove a hand to my face for protection. When it ceased I dared to peek.
Raina was standing next to me on my island, glaring up at her father, Heatran. She was fully ninetales, her true state, probably forced into it by this realm. When I looked at Heatran, he was smiling.
"Hello, Raina. What brings you home?" He rumbled. Raina glared up at him for another few seconds, but finally sighed and sat on her haunches.
"I'm fine, Father. I wanted to teach Bellrauthien here, I thought it would be enlightening. Besides, it has been a long time since I last saw the Sun." She smiled. I looked around and gasped.
"We're on the Sun?" I cut in. "I assumed we were in some sort of different dimension that was a volcano. The Sun?" Raina nodded.
"What you perceive as the planets, are really the separate realms of the elements. Mercury is the realm of rock and steel types. Venus is the realm of dragon types. Earth is the realm of normal types, fighting types, flying types, bug pokemon, and grass types, but encompasses all life. Mars is the realm of ground types. Jupiter is the realm of poison types. Saturn is the realm psychic types, but they also dominate the Moon. Uranus is the realm of electric types. Neptune is the realm of water and ice types, and Pluto is the realm of dark and ghost types." She counted them all off on her fingers as she went. She smiled when she finished. "There, I'm teaching you already." She turned to Heatran. "It was nice seeing you father, but it's time to go educate." Heatran nodded and began to sink back below the surface of the Sun. Before he was completely submerged, I could've sworn he winked at me.
When I looked back at Raina, she was looking across horizon. I walked next to her and looked out as well.
"What are we looking for?" I asked. She broke her trance and turned to me.
"Today we will be learning how to read thoughts, and it's easier to read the thoughts of spirits in their plane." She continued searching. I looked out as well. There were thousands, if not millions, of pokemon. As I looked through them, I began to notice more and more some that didn't look quite right. It seemed as if I was looking at them through a haze and couldn't get the real picture. I saw this several times before I thought to ask Raina.
"Why is it that some of the pokemon are difficult to see?" Raina turned to me again and smiled.
"I'm glad you asked. Come on." She took off and started running along the surface of the lava. I hesitated, but followed. Running wasn't harder, it was just... weird. The surface of the Sun gave slightly as you stepped on it. It was like trying to run on a trampoline that didn't want to bounce back.
I followed Raina to one of the hazy figures on a rock island, like I had been. As we got closer it became more defined, and it was when we stood beside it that I realized what it was.
"It's a half-breed." I said simply. I wasn't really surprised. A half-breed flareon was crouched in front of me. I couldn't see what it was crouched over, but it looked like it was eating.
"Yes," Raina said, "They are hazy because their pokemon half belongs here, but their human half is not welcome. It is for this reason that half-breeds are such outcasts. They don't really belong anywhere. We don't exactly have a half-breed legendary to rule their realm." I thought about that for a long time. It made a lot of sense.
"Why am I welcome here? I'm a half-breed after all. Heatran, your father, even said he was expecting me." I said. Raina sighed.
"You're... special. Your power allows you to visit all of the planes, though your greeting at the others might not be so friendly." The possibilities boggled my mind. I shook it off for now. We had come for a reason.
"So, how do you read minds?" I asked. Raina smiled and closed her eyes.
"Concentrate and extend your consciousness toward your target. It's really very simple." She said almost in a trance. I closed my eyes and followed her example. I pictured flareon, I imagined myself in its position. I tried to picture what it was eating, rattata maybe, or a pidgey.
Suddenly, I felt extremely dizzy. I could feel myself falling, and hear Raina call out to me. It was like I was falling asleep faster then I could fight.
When I opened my eyes I was no longer on the Sun. I was in a small room. I tried to look around, but I couldn't move. I began to panic. From what I could see I was in a cage. In front of me was a bowel of some sickly slime. I was even more terrified to see my hand scooping some of the disgusting fluid towards my mouth. My hand... was red.
The realization hit me hard. I wasn't in my own body. I was seeing what the flareon saw. Along with the realization cam a flood of thoughts that weren't my own.
...This is disgusting, but I'm so hungry. How long have I been here? Where is here? I miss my family. Why can't I melt these bars? This is disgusting...
Images came along with the thoughts. I saw his troubles, his hopes, his fears, and it made me angry. He was captured by someone for who knows what purpose, and was dragged away from a life he had. He was probably going to become a test subject, a machine that they, who ever they were, thought they could just tinker with until it worked how they wanted it too. It made me want to scream, and I did. I released my anger in a mental curse. It was strong, and apparently it didn't go unnoticed. The flareon had stopped eating and was looking around.
What was that? I could have sworn someone just screamed. Maybe it was just my imagination.
He went back to eating, but I realized I could speak with him. I decided it was worth a try.
"Hello?" I called out. I tried to say it aloud, hoping it would carry better, and maybe he would hear it. He did.
I definitely heard something that time.
"Hello? Who are you?" I asked. The flareon shot up. It looked around frantically.
Something is wrong, It thought, every time someone comes in here, they echo. Why isn't there an echo?
"Listen," I said calmly, "I'm not in the room. My name is Leo, and I want to help you." He didn't listen. He began screaming.
"Get out of my head! Get out of my head!" The power of it forced me to clamp down on my own mental identity, or else I might have lost myself in his mind. He became more forceful, and soon his screams deteriorated into unintelligible wailing. I lost my connection with his senses and was left floating in a sea of black screams.
It seemed eternity before the screams began to take shape again. I could hear my name in them, and I threw myself at the sound. Senses slowly came back to me. I felt intense heat first. Then direction returned, and I found myself lying on my back. I could smell and taste sulfur, and it forced me to cough. I heard Raina's voice, and it became my focal point.
"Leo! Leo, oh thank Arceus you're alive. Leo. Leo! Speak to me Leo!" I opened my eyes and was greeted by the intense light that was the Sun.
"Raina?" I coughed out, "What happened?" She sighed with relief and started petting my head. I hadn't realized before my head was in her lap. I looked up into her face and realized something else. "You're in your half-breed form." She laughed.
"You notice the strangest things Leo." She smiled, and I smiled back.
"You're calling me Leo." She laughed again and nodded. We stayed like that for a time, her petting my head, and me wheezing.
"What happened..."
She said distantly, "That's a good question. You were concentrating, then you just collapsed. You weren't breathing, I thought you were dead." A tear rolled down her cheek, but she wiped it away and composed herself. "So the question is yours. What happened?" I looked at her face.
"I saw what the flareon saw." She sighed and shook her head. "What's wrong?" I asked.
She smiled. "You're growing by leaps and bounds. What you did was mental transference, the actual movement of your consciousness to another living creatures. It comes after mind reading." I laughed, coughed, and laughed some more.
"Well," I said, "I learned something today, and that's that I need sleep." I laughed with Raina.
"Fine, sleep. When you wake up we'll be home." I nodded and closed my eyes. As I drifted off I heard Raina humming. It was an eerily familiar tune, and it calmed my mind. It faintly reminded me of my much more pleasant childhood.Chapter End Notes:Couple interesting things in that. Lots to review on. Again I apologize for my lateness, next chapter will be soon. Like, Friday. Thanks for reading, please review