Story Notes:
Sorry for the long absence; I've had a lot of things to do, a massive amount of writer's block recently (The latest Karistaa Usko chapter's presently in Limbo), and a complete overhaul of my mythos, so I decided to do one more in the general Pokemon universe. As the July contest inspired me a bit to write this chapter, it's a contest entry (or, at the very least, Nowhere and Everywhere is since I'm not certain how long this inspiration will hold).As usual: Pikachu, Pokémon, Mother et al. are the property of Nintendo. The characters are mine, as is the plot.
History and Histamine
Two Chu, a Hume, and an Onigiri Place
*)July 12, 2009 - 11:42 KDT(*
For as feral as they may seem to us, this storm possesses a rudimentary set of laws that serve mainly as a means to keep the storm safe and hidden. Aside from the common laws (murder, theft, treachery are illegal, etc.), the storm also maintains laws which make it illegal to abandon the storm without receiving a "mindwipe" of some form (how this mindwipe is done I do not know, but I suspect it involves a blow to the back of the head) or betray its exact location to outsiders (a circumstance helped by the fact that this area is part of a military no-trespass zone for some odd reason). It's this latter bit that makes it difficult for me to send letters back home to my son and husband to let them know I am okay.
As I touched on a fortnight ago, a law has to go through the full assembly of 19 omulosi and the Kabaka before it becomes law. Due to the interests of the omulosi usually coinciding, albeit muddledly, with that of the Kabaka, most laws he proposes pass easily. Very rarely is a law shot down, but this seems to happen very frequently with laws proposed to balance out legal rights for homosexual Chu (referred to as "shoga", from the Swahili term) and laws hoping to expand the storm any closer to Mt. Silver (these ones usually supplied every now and again by a random omulosi). I'm starting to get the impression the Chu know more about this area than even the military does.
Lori Tanner
"PULL!"
The heavyset Chu with the notch in his tail jumped onto the springboard, propelling a small, thin clay disc up into the air, where it pirouetted end over end, like an oversized coin. Tish took careful aim, nocked her mindbow, and fired, the bolt punching a clean hole through the pigeon. The Pikachu moved onto the next springboard as the broken disc landed in a tree.
"PULL!"
As Lori approached, the Chu jumped onto the next springboard, loaded with a similar clay pigeon, and ran to the next one as Tish shot. Her aim was slightly off, and her bolt flew off in the distance, disappearing over the treetops. The pigeon landed onto the soft peat surrounding the springboards.
"Missed," said Lori.
"Quiet, Lori. PULL!"
Tish's next shot nicked the edge of the pigeon, but otherwise left the clay disc intact. The disc landed on the peat.
"I thought Kanto Pikachu didn't have notches in their tail," observed Lori.
"He's Chausiku's son," commented Tish as she barked at the tailraiser to send the last pigeon skywards. Her shot, again, missed, though not for lack of trying; it missed by less than a millimetre.
"Oh?" asked Lori.
"Yeah. One of the few Chu who doesn't get a hard time because he likes it up the ass," commented Tish. "Nice guy, though."
"Four of ten, Tish," said the Pikachu. "Care to try again, or do you just wanna give it up?"
"Go blow a pissed-off Beedrill, Ibrahima!" retorted Tish. "You're still a crappier shot!"
"Strong words coming from someone who got outshot three consecutive times by three discs or more!" laughed back Ibrahima.
Tish growled and dismissed her mindbow, the crackling electricity dissipating harmlessly into the ground through her tail.
"How do you do that?" asked Lori, sitting down.
"Some of us just have the ability to shape electricity into various weapons, usually knives or bows," said Tish. "One nimbus actually managed to shape her electricity into a large stick with Zubat-wing-shaped blades at the top of it."
"You mean a battle-axe," said Lori.
"Is that what they're called?" asked Tish curiously.
"Trust me when I say that, weapons-wise, us humans can run circles around anything a Pokemon can do," noted Lori. "There hasn't been an era yet where humans have not killed one another over something as minor as a temple of Arceus."
"Arceus?" asked Tish, cocking her head. "Who's that?"
Ibrahima had an answer. "Arceus is what Sinnoh's Pokemon call their god."
"And what do you call yours?" asked Lori.
"I'll ask the same of you first, Omulosi," said Ibrahima.
"I worship God through Jesus Christ," came the rebuttal. "And?"
"Is he representative of your whole race?"
"'Scuse me?" asked Lori.
"Do all humans worship him?" asked Ibrahima.
"No, some worship Muhammad, some Elijah, still others worship various animals or spirits. What are you getting at?"
"So, in terms of religion, you humans are a confused bunch, eh?" asked Ibrahima.
"Just get on with it. I told you my beliefs; you tell me yours," rebuked Lori.
"I... worship Adebowale," said Ibrahima.
"Adebowale?" asked Lori.
"This is the first I'm hearing of you being pious," said Tish.
Ibrahima ignored Tish. "Adebowale. She was a powerful Chu whom gained a cult following after an incident in which she drove the humans away from her storm, and whose lineage still lives on to this day."
"So, she's the hero for your kind?" asked Lori, sitting down.
"Tish, sit down real quick," said Ibrahima. "I think I'm going to be giving both of you a crash course in history." Tish sat down where she stood. "Good. Yes, Lori, Adebowale is revered by pretty much every Chu - when you drive off a band of humans, they're gonna take notice. Now, there's an additional aspect to this."
Lori looked blankly at Ibrahima. "How so?"
Ibrahima looked back. "The storm Adebowale protected was this one."
Lori couldn't help but laugh. "That's bunk!"
Ibrahima wasn't smiling. "Ask any other Chu. Even those from Sinnoh and beyond recognize us as the storm Adebowale protected."
Lori urged Ibrahima to continue, stifling her laughter.
"After defeating the humans, Adebowale sowed the seeds of various thorns along the path they once used, and cared for them until they grew and choked out the path. Hence the Bluk bushes you had to cut through to get here. After that, she established the Viridian Storm - as you humans call it - and became its first Kabaka. Her blood still lives to this day in its Chu."
Lori looked at him. "So, is Ni-"
"No, Kabaka isn't a descendant of Adebowale. However..." Ibrahima generated a sword made of lightning in his left paw. Lori noticed that this sword glowed a bright blue and was very large. "My mother and I are, as are anyone else capable of creating lightning blades."
Tish's look changed to amazement. "So I'm Adebowale's descendant?"
"In blood, yes, but your line isn't direct descent. As far as the omulosi and the Kabaka know, Chausiku, mine, and my sister's are, hence the reason our blades are more powerful."
Tish was speechless. Lori spoke up, familiar with the phenomena of energy blades. "It takes some psychic capacity to create those sorts of blades, doesn't it?"
"Adebowale had some psionic abilities," said Ibrahim, dismissing his mindblade. "However, even the direct line of descent has psionic powers far diluted from what she had. After all, it's been several generations since the Age of Apricorns."
"Yeah? So why don't you continue to spread the lineage?" asked Lori. "I mean, if you've got such a power, wouldn't it be selfish to only fuck guys?"
Ibrahima shook his head. "I've long since accepted that my rightful mate is Tendaji."
"Tendaji being your boyfriend?" asked Tish.
"As soon as the kabaka manages to get some equal-rights measures passed, Tendaji being my husband, and I his wife," came the rebuttal. "Neither of us are willing to take part in the Ceremony, though."
"Ceremony?" asked Lori.
"The Ceremony of Ascension is where the Pikachu goes into the woods to find a Thunder Stone and evolve into a Raichu, going from nyithindo to omulosi."
"'Nyithindo' meaning Pikachu, right?" asked Lori. Her translator gave the response "child", which she knew was wrong.
"Yes," said Tish. "The participants are barred from revealing anything about the Ceremony, and must get a Thunder Stone in that year or else they remain nyithindo for the rest of their life."
"Funny, I was getting the impression..." started Lori.
"What impression?" asked Ibrahima.
"Well," started Lori, "this area's classified."
"'Classified'?" asked Tish.
"It means the military wants to keep humans away from it," she said. "Anyhow, I had figured that the Kabaka and omulosi seem to be thinking the same thing, since attempts to expand the storm's stomping grounds out towards the foot of Mount Silver are constantly rejected."
"It's got something to do with Omulosi Ime," said Ibrahima. "Chausiku's told me that he's constantly managed to get Kabaka to veto every attempt at it, and that a few of the omulosi sympathize with Ime."
"Why would Ime want to do that?" asked Lori.
"I've no idea, but I think it has something to do with the Ceremony of Ascension." Ibrahima shrugged. "Maybe they don't want to make it any easier?"
"Perhaps," said Lori, "but the fact that two distinctly separate cultures both have that area as more-or-less off-limits leaves me unable to assume anything other than there's something here the military and Chu both want to remain hidden."
"Ime's not likely to tell you anything," said Tish. "I came across an odd-looking skull and told him about it; he immediately changed the subject to my bed-wetting. I hadn't wet the bed for three years."
"I could probably get Eoin to ask the Kabaka."
"Not likely," said Ibrahima. "Eoin wants as little contact with the Kabaka as possible outside the Moonlight Meets, and the Kabaka himself has said he refuses to tell anyone except for his mate about it."
Lori sighed. "Well, what do you know?"
Ibrahima nodded and got comfortable. "What I know is mostly hearsay and conjecture..."
Eoin woke up wheezing and gasping for breath, in the throes of an allergic episode, his body thrashing as it went through anaphylactic shock. His eyes looked around, hoping that Nicolau was around, but there was no such luck. "Help me!" he croaked, but nobody was nearby to hear him.
He turned over and saw that the Epipen he'd used the first day they came here was now buried in his thigh, and that it had been somehow filled with what appeared to be Chesto milk. He croaked out more help as he felt his vision swim.
The Kabaka entered the glade just as a blur of yellow shot past him and out of sight behind a tree. The smell of Chesto berry was prevalent around him, and the Kabaka barely heard a mewl from Eoin. Thinking quickly, Nicolau charged in to find Eoin choking on his own windpipe, a doctored epipen in his thigh and leaking Chesto berry into his body. "Eoin!" he shouted.
Eoin looked towards the Kabaka, and his eyes rolled up as he fell over, unconscious.
"Dammit!" Nicolau ran forward and ripped the syringe out of his body, breaking the needle off, but stopping further nut milk from entering his bloodstream. He looked all about Eoin's body for his syringes, but couldn't exactly find them. In the process, he unintentionally flicked the translator off. "Somebody, help!"
Hearing the cry from outside, Mudiwa ran in and helped the Kabaka, whom was trying to rescusitate him with little success. "What do you want me to do?" he asked.
"Find where he stashed his allergy drug! I know he keeps a supply on him!"
Mudiwa looked about, but with little success. Ime barged in, about ready to discipline Mudiwa for trespassing into Nicolau's glade, and saw the dying Eoin. He noticed Mudiwa looking about Eoin's footpaws, and saw the odd pad pattern on his feet - reflecting the fact that Eoin was a size 7-and-a-half, but most Raichu were size 15 at the least. Suddenly, he had an idea.
"Nyithindo, check his toes!" shouted Ime, running to the footpaw opposite. He gently stroked the odd-feeling human flesh before grabbing the toes and wrenching them back towards his ankle, revealing a hidden compartment in the suit. Unfortunately, this one only contained a few pencils. Mudiwa followed Ime's lead and unhinged the other foot, revealing four unused epipens.
"Found them, Kabaka!" shouted Mudiwa, handing Nicolau a syringe. The Kabaka swiftly removed the safety cap on the needle and plunged it into Eoin's other thigh, then started giving mouth-to-mouth again.
Seconds passed. Then, much to everyone's relief, Eoin started to breathe again, his airway clear and the emergency medication doing its job. Nicolau put a hand over his chest, and was relieved to feel Eoin's heartbeat, albeit a bit slow.
Mudiwa removed the remainder of the syringe that Nicolau had torn off. "Why'd he collapse?"
Ime answered this. "Eoin's allergic to nuts," he said. "When the Kabaka introduced us, he ate one and suffered just as severe a reaction and had to be removed from the omulosi's hall."
Nicolau sighed. "I think he'll be okay. His breathing's back to normal."
"Any idea who caused this, Nicolau?" asked Ime. He and the Kabaka were on a first-name basis.
"I think I saw a nyithindo leaving the glade as I came in, but he got behind a tree before I could tell who he was."
"Whomever it was would have to have overheard you that night," said Ime. "I think I heard Lori talk about Eoin's allergy."
"The big question is, who would have the means to do this?" As an afterthought, he spoke in Common, "And why would he do so?"
Ime looked at Mudiwa, as did Nicolau. "You speak the human tongue?"
"Yes, I do," said Mudiwa, in Chu. "You wouldn't believe the amount of human detritus that blows through the thorns, and I'm pretty certain I'm not the only literate Chu."
Before Nicolau could reprimand him, Eoin stirred beneath them. They all took a few steps back, with Mudiwa and Ime closing Eoin's footpaw compartments as they retreated.
Eoin sat up and looked at all three of them. "Who... who juiced me?" he asked weakly, unaware his translator was turned off.
"No idea," said Mudiwa, replying in Common. "Kabaka thinks it's a Pikachu or Pichu, but doesn't know who it is, exactly."
"D... did you three save me?" he asked, his vision starting to return somewhat to normal.
"We all played a part, if that's what you mean," said Ime. "In any case, you need to get some rest. You passed out on us."
Eoin seemed a bit dumb from the lack of oxygen, and didn't understand Ime's Chu response, but assumed it was a confirmation. "Thank you, guys," he said wanly before returning to sleep, exhausted.
Ime turned to the Kabaka, and then to Mudiwa. "So what now?"
"We let it be known that someone attempted to assassinate Eoin," said Mudiwa. "Hopefully someone has a lead."
"That could be most anyone except the shoga," said Nicolau. "Someone may have gotten pissed that Eoin rejected my advances, or that Eoin wasn't considering either nimbus or Chu in general."
"Why would they, though?" replied Ime. "Human semen and nimbus puss don't mix anyway, and Eoin has been nothing short of aggressive towards those whom still persist in calling him a faggot." Mudiwa and Nicolau both flinched at the slur. "Oh, sorry."
"Please don't use that term, Ime," warned Nicolau. "Especially in front of two members of the Meet."
"I have a reputation to keep," said Mudiwa. "I'd sooner not be bullied for liking my own gender."
Ime nodded, then turned back to the snoozing Eoin. "Don't worry, Eoin. We'll find the bastard who wanted to kill you."
Lori walked into the hut, with Ibrahima following shortly thereafter. Both were surprised to find a Pikachu sitting there, waiting for them.
"Missus Tanner?" asked the Pikachu in fluent Common.
Lori turned her translator off. "Yes?"
"I have some... bad news."
"What sort of bad news?" asked Lori. Her face fell. "Did Eoin...?"
"No, Lori, he didn't have sex with one of us." His face stayed dark. "My name is Nyithindo Mudiwa. I was present in the glade with Omulosi Ime and the Kabaka earlier."
Lori read "the glade" as meaning Nicolau's home. "Dear God, what happened?"
Mudiwa's face soured considerably. "Someone attempted to assassinate Eoin about four hours ago."
Lori's hand went to her mouth, and she quickly turned her translator back on. "Ibrahima, go find your mom and sister, and keep them from coming back here for about ten minutes."
Ibrahima felt the gravity in Lori's voice and nodded, leaving the hut. Once he was gone, Lori unzipped her costume and stepped out of it, sitting on the floor. "What exactly happened?"
"Four hours ago, the Kabaka came home to find Eoin choking to death from a severe allergic reaction. Someone had taken the needle he'd used on the night you came here and filled it with Chesto berry milk." He deliberately left out the fact that Nicolau had spotted an intruder, since he did not want Lori or Eoin to leave because of this situation.
"Is... is he alright?" asked Lori.
"Kabaka, Ime, and I managed to stabilize him. He's asleep right now."
"Did he stop breathing at all?"
"For about twelve seconds, while we hunted for his epipens, he couldn't breathe."
Lori gasped. "Is he functioning normally? Does he remember anything?"
"We'll ask him once he gets up."
Lori bolted out of the hut, not wanting to wait that long.
Lori shoved herself into the glade, where Nicolau was busy talking to a guard Pikachu and his partner and Eoin lay peacefully snoozing on the floor. Nicolau looked at Lori's breasts, and dismissed the guards, turning towards her as she ran and slapped Eoin awake, turning his translator back on in the process.
Eoin grumbled and got up. "What now, Kabak- Oh..."
Lori was hysteric, staying close to Eoin. "Are you alright?"
"Just a little bit woozy but otherwise alright. Can't remember shit about the past twelve hours, though."
"Raichu churaii... Raichu ai chuai raichu," responded Nicolau. I'll spare you the trouble - you were asleep for ten hours of that time.
Eoin turned to Nicolau. "What the hell happened?"
Lori answered. "Someone tried to kill you in your sleep, that's what happened."
Eoin's face lightened a bit, as if he considered it a joke. But a look at Nicolau's face confirmed what Lori said. He cleared his throat. "Who saved me?" he asked Nicolau.
"Myself, Omulosi Ime, and Nyithindo Mudiwa," he said back to Eoin. Lori heard only mixed syllables of Raichu.
"Any idea what happened, and when?" he asked both Lori and Nicolau.
"Someone injected Chesto milk into you," said Lori, genuinely sounding scared.
"I saw that someone, but I couldn't identify that someone. He got out of sight too quickly for me to catch any recognizable features," said Nicolau.
"About how long was I seizing?" asked Eoin to Nicolau.
"Long enough for your throat to constrict." Eoin hissed. No wonder why he had amnesia; he'd been oxygen-starved! "Be fortunate Mudiwa managed to pull the drugs out of your foot and inject you."
Eoin stared at the Kabaka. Then, he nodded. "I suppose I owe you and the other two my life, minus the last half-a-day."
Lori quickly turned Eoin's head towards hers and immediately started asking questions to determine the extent of Eoin's amnesia. "What did you have for breakfast yesterday?"
"A Sitrus berry," replied Eoin.
"Today?"
"I don't recall..."
"You skipped breakfast today," said Nicolau. "You were feeling a bit nauseous."
"Shut up, Nicolau," ordered Lori. She returned to Eoin. "Did Nicolau hit on you last night?"
"Once. I threatened to rip his balls off if he approached me."
Nicolau grimaced, and backed away from Lori, hoping she would not glare at him. She did not.
"Phew. At least you weren't out long enough to cause any major damage," she said, pulling away from Eoin. Eoin grumbled and stood up. "I'm going to have to let them know about this next status report..."
"Don't," said Eoin. "I'm not abandoning this field study."
"I don't think we have a choice anymore, Eoin," said Lori. "Someone tried to end your life."
"Someone whom has to fulfill a rather exclusive set of criteria," said Nicolau.
"Nicolau says that there's a very small number of suspects," transmitted Eoin. "Don't be so suspicious of the storm."
"That's just the thing, Eoin, whom exactly are these suspects, and are they going to attempt it again? Will they actually succeed?"
"You're overreacting, Lori," said Eoin. "I don't think anyone's going to try it again, and if they did they'd have to get through the guards at the front door."
Lori turned around and frowned. "Are they capable?"
"I trust Nicolau's judgment; he knows them more than we do," said Eoin.
Lori looked back at the guards, whom were standing and wielding crude Lochaber axes - the heads of their polearms were made of stone. "Are they capable?" asked Lori.
"Very," said Nicolau, "and I'd trust them to protect Eoin." Eoin nodded to Lori.