Chapter 18: The Unthinkable
I held a long sturdy black fishing rod in my hands as far out as my arms would allow with a big chunk of meat dangling from the string. This was to serve as motivation for the giant rotund bear with midnight blue fur and a cream colored belly to Surf myself, Axel, and Madison down to the Whirl Islands. No ships would dare make the trip because of all of the whirlpools so I had to resort to my usual brilliance in unconventional means and use my Snorlax. The food would always be there, but he wouldn’t be able to reach it with his short arms until the task at hand was complete no matter how hard he swam. Sometimes it’s a good thing hunger and instinct outweigh good judgment and reason.
“Are we there yet Onii-chan?” asked Madison. My eye started twitching at the dreaded question. I have to take care of this now before it gets out of hand.
“No Madison, and if you ask again I’m throwing you off the Snorlax.” I answered trying to hide my annoyance.
“But I only asked once.” she said giving me a confused look. “It’s not like I was saying Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” she rambled on. I quickly felt what little sanity I had fading into nothingness.
“Gah! Axel! Shut her up!” I yelled trying to keep the fishing rod steady and hold my ears at the same time. I found it was an impossible move.
“Way ahead of ya.” Axel said pulling the duct tape from my backpack. Madison let out a frightened squeak as she put her hands on her mouth and curled into a ball.
“Don’t you think that’s a little harsh? It would be funny as hell, but then I’d have to deal with her crying when we finally took the tape off.” I said indifferently. The Infernape grunted in annoyance that he couldn’t have his fun in making Madison a silver mummy.
“Thanks Onii-chan.” said Madison gratefully. She crawled up Snorlax’s back and joined me near the shoulders where I was sitting with the fishing rod.
“What are you thanking me for? Silence is golden, duct tape is silver. If you get duct taped, I’ll never have silence again.” I said straightforwardly.
“You forgot to say ‘baka’ again.” she said.
“You are baka.” I said flatly which got a squee from Madison. Crazy weeaboo.
----------------
We could go no further. Whirlpools and rocks were everywhere blocking every possible route except the one we had come from. To keep Snorlax from killing us, I pulled in the meat and let him have at it.
“What now Onii-chan?” Madison asked hoping I’d have an answer. As always, I did.
“Give me a minute to put away this rod.” I said pulling out a grey orb that resembled a Pokéball but was used for an entirely different purpose. I held the Item Ball to the fishing rod and pulled back the latter item like how a Pokémon would be called back to its Pokéball. You got to hand it to the Devon Corporation; Item Balls sure make a Trainer’s life easier. It is possible to carry large items like fishing rods and bikes in a backpack along with tons of smaller items with these balls. After putting away the fishing rod, I pulled a Pokéball from my waist.
“Now to get to the islands.” I said sending out Aerodactyl. “All aboard!” The Fossil Pokémon swooped in low so that everyone could climb on his back. By the time everyone had gotten on the flier, Snorlax had finished his meal. I took out the Sleeping Pokémon’s Ultra Ball and called him back in a flash of red light for his nap.
We flew on Aerodactyl until reaching four rocky islands arranged in a spiral pattern, each one covered in rocks with some vegetation and surrounded by white sandy beaches. “Take the lower right one!” I called out pointing to the one I meant. The prehistoric beast pulled in his wings while tilting down into a dive. Madison screamed while I grinned in excitement from the adrenaline rush.
“That was scawy.” Madison sobbed as she clung to my torso for dear life even after we had already landed.
“Wuss.” I mocked. With a good bit of effort, I managed to peel the girl’s arms off of me. I then unmounted my noble stead with Axel following me. Madison got off less gracefully, first getting caught on one of Aerodactyl’s spikes causing her to slide before falling face first into the sand. Axel and I burst into laughter at the scene.
“It’s not funny!” she whined getting up while trying her hardest to brush the sand off of her clothes and out of her hair.
“Ha ha ha aha… *sigh* You’re right, it’s not funny.” I said catching my breath. “It’s hilarious!” I began laughing hysterically again. Axel held out his hand trying desperately to say something over his laughter so I gave him the high five he was looking for. All the while our female companion glared at us angrily for getting so much amusement at her expense.
“Hmph!” she pouted turning her head away from us.
“Aw. Don’t get mad. It’s vacation, you have to unwind.” I encouraged. “Besides, you should already know that me and Axel are easily entertained. Now get your bathing suit on! We’re going swimming!” I declared already taking my shirt off.
“But where do I change?” asked Madison nervously as she began looking around.
“Well, you could be ridiculously prepared like me,” I dropped my pants to reveal that I already had my suit on, “or you can duck behind those bushes over there.” I said pointing to a small patch of green foliage roughly fifty feet up the beach. The brush was actually closer to the rocky part of the island than the sand.
“But--” she started.
“Look. You already know I’m not a lolicon and I’m the only boy on the island. All I care about is going swimming so I certainly won’t peek on you. swim. Use your Pokémon for protection if you’re scared.” I pointed out, now fully undressed save my swimwear. Madison nodded and ran up the beach to her hiding place.
“Enjoy yourself. I’m not going past the high tide mark.” Axel said bitterly. Such is my one disadvantage of having a Fire-type. He’ll join me in all of my crazy endeavors except the ones that will get him wet.
“Then let me give you some company.” I said picking up my other Pokémon’s balls. Snorlax, Piloswine, Riolu, and Beldum joined Aerodactyl and Axel on the beach. “It’s everyone’s vacation so have fun doing as you please.” I encouraged.
With that, I turned toward Kyogre’s realm and ran headlong down the sand to the sea. My speed was gradually diminished the further out I got, starting with kicking water everywhere at the tide line, to hopping on the bottom until I could no longer feel it. Once I could no longer feel anything but cold water under my feet, I leaned forward into prone position and began breast stroking out further. The water was not as rough as one might think from all the whirlpools everywhere. But it was also not what I would call calm either. Something in the middle I would say.
“Onii-chan!” Madison called from the shoreline waving at me. I turned around bobbing in the water. From what I could see from my location, she was wearing a pinkish purple one piece and standing about ankle deep. I waved back at her and Riolu who was doggy paddling just a few feet from Madison. Aerodactyl was perched on one of the many rocks that littered the shore, Snorlax was sleeping lazily on the beach with Axel leaning against his bulk, Piloswine looked like he was digging a hole in the sand with his tusks, and Beldum just floated around aimlessly. Mimi, Maki, Chuchu, Fluffy, Ichi, and Cherrim were also out and about with Maki swimming alongside Riolu. Suddenly, Riolu stopped his leisurely swim and looked toward me with a startled bark. Axel also got up off of Snorlax and ran to the tide line.
“Brian! Get back here now!” the monkey shouted urgently.
“Onii-chan!” Madison screamed frantically. I didn’t even need to guess why they were so worked up, I already knew. No sooner had Riolu’s head perked up, I felt the water around me recede. I quickly turned my head around to see a huge tidal wave looming over head.
“Oh shi--!” was all I could scream before all that water came crashing down on me. I felt like I was in a whirlwind of madness. I couldn’t tell which direction was up, down, left, right, forward, or behind as I spiraled through the water. The answer only came when I bounced on my back against the sandy bottom, then again when I was lifted back up, spun around, and dropped on my left shoulder.
When the currents seemed to calm down, I was finally able to pick myself up and get the much needed air that my lungs burned for. I tried wiping the salty water from my eyes to see where I was, but that only made things worse as my hands were also dripping wet. I finally got my eyes open enough to see that I was about knee deep facing the ocean and another wave was heading my way. This one, however, broke just before hitting me, but sent gallons of water hitting me below the waist like a punch to the balls. I fell on my ass from the impact with the wind knocked out of me.
I got up again and staggered back to the beach completely dizzy from the shellshock. I couldn’t even walk in a straight line and almost fell twice. My nose and eyes burned from the salt water and my mouth felt dry. Despite it all, I was laughing maniacally. I have never been thrashed so badly before and I liked it. If I could, I would love to go through that all over again without any changes.
“Onii-chan! Are you ok!? You’re bleeding!” Madison cried. Bleeding? I looked at my left shoulder, the one I had landed on. It had a few scrapes on it but other than that it was nothing serious. My back was probably the same way. Axel walked up next to me when I got out of the water in case I needed anything or fell from dizziness.
“Grab me a bottle of water.” I told the Infernape as I sat down with my legs up for balance. I started spitting to get all the salt out of my mouth. Not exactly an easy task. Axel came back and handed me a fresh bottle from my backpack. I accepted and began chugging to rehydrate myself. After my drink, I used what was left in the bottle to wash out my mouth by rinsing and spitting the mixture into the sand.
“Onii-chaaaaan!” Madison called obnoxiously trying to get my attention.
“I’m fine Madison.” I said with a sigh. I started sniffing inward until I finally forced out a sneeze that had been bothering me for the last couple of minutes. It was a very phlegmy sneeze as it was taking all of the ocean’s dissolved particles with it. “Very fine.”
--------------
That night after my epic experience, we had a bonfire complement of Axel. For dinner we had hotdogs, followed by s’mores for dessert. While we ate, we told random stories of past endeavors and complete fantasy. By this time, Madison had changed into a pair of beige shorts and a pink Magical Girl hoodie. All I did was put my shirt back on.
“Then when it looked like I was about to lose, Axel let out a furious roar. He was consumed by his Blaze aura and began growing and changing. When the flames dissipated, my Monferno was gone, replaced by the badass Infernape you see here. Whitney’s Miltank didn’t stand a chance.” I said telling Madison about my last trip to Johto.
“True story. Afterward we had burgers.” Axel added. I began chuckling evilly remembering how we called our lunch that day Whitney’s Miltank.
“Wow.” Madison said in amazement. “Onii-chan and Axel had lots of fun huh?”
“We still are. You can too.” I looked at my watch. It read 11:29p. “Tis getting late. Have Maki put out this fire so we can go to bed. Tomorrow will be another day of unplanned fun.”
Even with the light of the fire completely gone so that even sparks didn’t remain, the beach was still bathed in the light of the almost full moon and stars. Even the ocean had a soft glow of Staryus and Chinchous beneath the surface. I was slowly lulled to sleep by the peaceful sound of the waves which was all that could be heard in the silence of the night.
--------------
Was it humming? No. It sounded more like singing. It was so calm… soothing… and peaceful. It sounded like a happy song. Or was it sad? I guess melancholy would be the right word to describe it. Whatever it was, it was relaxing. Like every worry or problem I had was gone. It was just me and the song.
“Onii-chan wake up!” I lazily opened one eye to see Madison crouching over me. I wish it was just me and the song. Wait! The song. It was gone. Had I just been dreaming it?
“What do you want?” I asked groggily. The sky was still dark with the only sign of morning being a thin azure glow on the eastern horizon.
“I saw a big silver bird.” she whispered. I was slightly intrigued, but not enough to get up. I took a quick look at my watch which read 5:38a.
“You’re dreaming. Go back to sleep.” I advised as I rolled back over.
“It wasn’t a dream. I really saw it. It came out of the ocean and flew to one of the other islands.” Madison went on. It is way too early for this.
“Alright, fine. Show me where you saw this ‘silver bird’ of yours.” I said drowsily getting up. “Let me just get dressed first.” When I had at least gotten some pants on I kicked Axel to wake him up too.
“Man. I was having such a nice dream too. That was a beautiful song.” the monkey groaned at being woken up so early.
As Madison dragged us to the northern part of the island, I began hearing screeches and fluttering. It definitely sounded like a bird, or rather multiple birds. The sound was coming from behind one of the tallest of the many rock formations. When we rounded the corner, we were greeted by a sight like no other. The north side of the beach was littered with dozens of Tentacool, Chinchou, Shellder, and Mantine carcasses. Above them were dozens, maybe even hundreds more Wingulls having a feeding frenzy on the all-you-can-eat-buffet that covered the sand. One of the bird Pokémon was picking the eye out of a deceased Tentacool while another ripped out the soft insides of a Shellder. There was more going on than I could possibly describe. I was left awe struck. How did so many Pokémon wash up on the beach like this? What could have done this? As bizarre as this situation was, it did answer one question.
“There’s your silver bird Madison.” I said pointing to the flock of Wingull. “The morning light, or lack thereof, must have reflected off of their white feathers making them look silver. And because there are so many, they looked like one giant bird.” I explained.
“That’s not it!” Madison responded adamantly. “It wasn’t Wingull. It was ginormous and it flew over to that island!” she said pointing in the distance to a rock peak. “We have to go!” Persistent as always.
“Madison, the sun isn’t even up yet. I’m on vacation, I’m tired, I’m going back to bed.” I said leaving no room for argument. “However, you have aroused my curiosity. When I wake up for real we can investigate this silver bird of yours after breakfast. Until then, don’t wake me.”
-----------------
True to my word, the three of us flew on Aerodactyl to the specified island four hours later. It took some work getting around the Wingull, but after that it was a smooth flight. Between the two islands in the ocean were several violent whirlpools grouped together in one area. The strange thing about them was the way they were spiraling. It was as if they were pulling water from the surface to fill a void left below, like a giant mass rose from the sea at a very high velocity. I suddenly remembered something Axel said earlier that I was too tired to process at the time.
“Axel, you said you had a dream about singing earlier. What was it like?” I questioned.
“I don’t know. It sounded kinda lonely but at the same time reassuring.” Axel tried explaining.
“I also had a dream about singing.” Madison added with excitement.
“You too?” I inquired in disbelief. “Do you remember how it went?”
“Mhm. It was something like…” she closed her eyes and began humming. That was it! That was exactly what I heard in my dream. Axel had the same surprised look as I did.
“This is no coincidence. There is no way all of us had the same dream about a song none of us have ever heard before.” I acknowledged. “No, it wasn’t a dream. We must have been hearing the song at the exact same time.”
“Do you think it was the silver bird?” asked Madison. Aerodactyl landed on the island’s mountain near a cave.
“Maybe.” I said hopping off. This time I helped Madison off so she wouldn’t hurt herself on the jagged rocks in the area. I recalled Aerodactyl to his Pokéball before walking into the cave. Axel walked in front as our light while I brought up the rear with Madison in the middle so she wouldn’t get lost. Most caves I have found are very treacherous and can be deadly if you don’t know where you’re going or you don’t take proper precaution ahead of time.
Rather than seek out the silver bird itself, we decided to look for traces it had been here: feathers, bird poo, footprints, or anything else relevant to the search. The next best thing would be if we heard it, with the best being actually seeing it. I debated on whether or not I should try to catch it or not. I guess it would depend on the situation.
“WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!” Madison suddenly screamed as she jumped back into me. I caught her in my arms and helped her regain her balance.
“What’s wrong?” I asked in concern.
“S-so-something touched my leg!” she wailed hysterically. I wordlessly directed Axel to turn his head to where Madison had been standing. Running away from the light was a decent sized red crab with its pinchers elevated above its body.
“It’s just a Krabby silly.” I reassured. “I’m sure there are many more Wild Pokémon in here. Now come. We have a silver bird to seek.” Madison whined as I pushed her forward to keep going.
The deeper we went, the colder it got. It was nowhere near as cold as the Ice Path where I could see my breath, but it was enough to make my exposed arms tingly. Some paths were open, allowing us to go anywhere. Others were narrow, forcing us in one specific direction without the option of turning around. Inside the cave there were also hills, some so steep we had to go over one at a time so we wouldn’t fall into each other while using the wall in an attempt to maintain balance. Others were flat enough that it didn’t even feel like a hill. There were also random tunnels in various places leading to different “rooms” inside the cave. More than once Madison let out a pathetic whimper from something that scared her, usually the occasional Zubat.
“Can we go now Onii-chan?” she asked nervously. I stopped in my tracks which told Axel to do the same when he looked back and saw we weren’t moving.
“Go? You’re the one who wanted to find the silver bird!” I reminded. “Where be ye sense of adventarre?” I asked pirate like. “You commented last night how Axel and I had a lot of fun. Now’s your chance! Even if this search is a bust, you can still brag later that you explored the deep, dank, and dark caverns of the Whirl Islands in search of a rare silver bird! No go forth! See this to the end!”
With my encouraging speech, Axel moved forward again. Madison reluctantly followed, with me behind them. I noticed the small child was shaking despite hugging herself for warmth. I walked closer and leaned forward to talk in her ear. “If you’re cold, get closer to Axel’s fire. If you’re scared, don’t be. We’ll protect you from any harm. Kay?”
“Okay!” Madison said happily. “I know I can trust Onii-chan!”
As we walked down one particular tunnel, the floor started getting damper, most likely from the water dripping from the ceiling. Every step we took caused the floor to splash. Every drop that fell did nothing to me, but made Madison jump and Axel grumble. A new scent slowly filled the cavern. It was the smell of water. When we exited the tunnel, we were on a subterranean island possibly big enough to fit me, Madison, and all twelve of our Pokémon with only a little bit of room to spare. The smell of water came from the water surrounding the island. I slowly walked across the slippery damp surface to the edge. I got on my knees, stuck my face in the water, and sucked in, something I immediately regret doing. I quickly pulled my head out and started spitting.
“Don’t drink that! It’s brackish.” I warned.
“What does brackish mean?” asked Madison putting her index finger to her mouth cluelessly. I informed her three times that it meant it was salt water, but not as salty as the ocean as she didn’t quite get it the first two times. My theory was that the water was once fresh ground water, but being surrounded by the ocean, salt water gradually seeped in as well. I decided not to voice that theory out loud as I really don’t feel like explaining it five different times.
“Looks like we can go no further. Time to turn around and go back.” I said dejectedly.
“Why can’t we get on Snorlax and see where the water goes?” Madison inquired.
“You don’t hear it?” I asked noting a roar in the distance. Madison looked around obliviously before shaking her head. “That is the sound of crashing water meaning there’s a waterfall nearby.” I informed. “If we go down that waterfall, we’re screwed. It’s better to cut our losses now and say we tried, than to do something stupid and end up dead.”
“Why not try a different corridor and see where it leads?” asked Axel.
“Simply put, we’ve been in here for almost five hours. In another five hours it will be almost dusk. That’s providing we take the exact path back that we took getting here. One wrong move and we may not be getting out of here until midnight.” I explained.
After sending my charges back the way we came, I noted that it was just as difficult to get around if not more. Just like getting to this point, we had to deal with treacherous terrain and maze-like structures. What made it more difficult was remembering which way we had come from; exactly as I predicted. It got to the point that I had to carry Madison on my back because she was too tired to keep going.
“We’ll rest here for a little while.” I declared after climbing up a particularly steep hill. Even I had reached my limits, plus with Madison now asleep, she was dead weight and wouldn’t be able to hold on to me if I needed to use my hands for any reason. Axel sighed with relief. Obviously he only kept going for me. I had the Flame Pokémon take the sleeping girl off of my back and lay her on a flatter surface of the bumpy ground. I sat down and started rubbing my shoulders.
“So what do you think it was? The silver bird I mean.” the golden monkey inquired taking a seat next to me.
“Honestly, I’m thinking Lugia.” I admit as I leaned forward to stretch my back muscles.
“Lugia huh?”
“Mhm.” I nodded. “Johto legend speaks of a Great Silver Guardian that used to reside atop the Brass Tower before fleeing when a lightning bolt burned the tower to the ground. Over the last couple of centuries sailors and fishermen have been spreading rumors of a silver beast that causes storms near the Whirl Islands. I think they are one and the same and that the silver bird Madison saw is in fact Lugia. The song that we all heard was my first hint that what we were looking for is actually real. But there are other clues that I think all go together. The tidal wave that hit me yesterday was the only one that hit all day leading me to believe some unusual force caused it. A bigger one must have struck last night while we were sleeping to wash all of those Pokémon onto the beach. Adding that to those violent whirlpools that we saw in the ocean between the islands has led me to the conclusion that something big and powerful rose from the depths in the last 24 hours. My tidal wave was just the first ripple of Lugia’s rising. The other came when it emerged. Madison must have woken up and seen it before it flew over to this island. Whether or not it actually landed here, I’m stumped given that we have found no further evidence, but at least we know what it is we’re dealing with.” I explained.
“It makes perfect sense. You’ve been think about that a lot haven’t you?” he inquired sounding impressed.
“What else would I have been doing all this time? I can’t not think.” I confessed. I looked over at Madison who was sleeping so peacefully. “We might as well get some rest too. She doesn’t look like she’ll be getting up anytime soon.”
“You rest. I’ll take the first watch.” Axel offered.
“No, you sleep too. You’re our light source.” I said releasing Riolu from his Pokéball. “He’ll watch. Rio, if you sense anything, wake us up before it gets here.” I instructed. Riolu nodded in compliance before closing his eyes to survey the area. I laid back and threw my hands behind my head as a pillow. Axel curled up next me and closed his eyes. It didn’t take long for me to join him.
---------------
I was the first to wake up, followed by Axel a few minutes later. Madison could probably out sleep Snorlax with how long she’s been out. I’ll give her ten more minutes. After that I’m waking her up in the most interesting way I can think of.
“3… 2… 1. Time’s up.” I said after the allotted ten minutes before unleashing Aerodactyl.
“What’s he for?” Axel asked warily.
“Watch. Roar Aerodactyl!” I commanded. The Fossil Pokémon inhaled deeply prior to releasing a frightening ear shattering shriek that echoed off of the cavern walls giving it a more ominous and sinister sound. Madison awoke with a terrified scream while I laughed my ass off at how evil I can be.
“It’s not funny Onii-chan!!” my victim yelled. My amusement ceased when Riolu tugging at my pants leg with a nervous look on his face. Answering Aerodactyl’s call was a loud cry that echoed from deep in the cave. The howl was like nothing I had ever heard in my life. It was one of power that commanded respect.
“You’re right Madison. Perhaps I did go too far this time.” I admit with an uneasy tone. “But we can talk about that later. Right now I think I just pissed off Lugia. Run!” I ordered trying to hide my panic. The sound of multiple beating wings could be heard as a swarm of Zubat flooded the corridor we were in. They were most likely startled by Aerodactyl’s and that other creature’s roars.
“You’ve really done it now, haven’t you?” Axel chastised.
“You can tell me off later! Right now move it!” I yelled after returning Riolu and Aerodactyl to their respective balls. We kept the same pecking order to ensure that no one got left behind. That made life rather difficult for me as I was the one who was harassed the most by those bloodsucking fiends.
“That’s enough!” I proclaimed. “Come back out Aerodactyl!” I summoned releasing the stone grey winged terror. “Scatter these Zubat with Supersonic and Roar!” I threw my hands over my ears as I expected the Supersonic to vibrate off of the walls just like Roar did, and confusion at a time like this would be pretty bad. “Cover your ears everyone!” I shouted. The ancient Pokémon opened his mouth releasing a shrill screech that sent the Zubat into disarray. Once they started swarming aimlessly, Aerodactyl let out another fearsome roar sending the Bat Pokémon back into the depths of the cave they came from.
“Is it over?” Madison asked hopefully. Before I could say yes, another wild bat dropped from the ceiling, this one with a huge gapping mouth lined with sharp fangs. In a sense it was a flying mouth as the feet came out of the jaw and the wings were attached to the cheeks. Jeez, it’s one thing after another here. The Golbat spit out its long saliva covered tongue as it screeched a cry rivaling Aerodactyl’s.
“I’ve had enough of this!” I said angrily. I called Aerodactyl back to his Pokéball while readying a Great Ball. “Finish this Piloswine!” I called sending out a large pig Pokémon covered in coarse brown fur with two large tusks protruding from his mouth. “Icy Wind!” The wooly boar blew a freezing breath at the evolved Bat Pokémon that crystallized the cave’s water vapor into a white icy mist. The Golbat shrieked with displeasure from the Super-effective hit as it flew into the abyss.
“I say we get the hell out before a Crobat decides it wants to join the party as well.” I said sarcastically. I will be willing to admit this was my fault after we get out of the cave.
------------
Hours passed until we finally reached the mouth of the cavern, recognizable only for the moonlight shining in. According to my watch it was 1:11a. We would have made better time had we not taken that rest or been attacked by deranged Zubat, but I digress. We found Lugia, even if we only heard its cry, so the trip wasn’t a total waste. Plus, it is always fun to explore new places just to see what can be found.
“It’s late, so I say we sleep here tonight.” I said taking a seat followed by a yawn.
“Ok. Good night Onii-chan.” Madison said after her own yawn while rubbing her eyes.
“Night ya lazy monkeys.” Axel said tiredly.
-------------
“I’m going for an early morning walk. You wanna come with?” I asked Madison the following morning.
“No thanks Onii-chan. I’m making us breakfast today.” she said confidently.
“You!?” I questioned in shock. “Ooookaaaay. Axel my friend, I have a feeling one of us is going to die today.” I joked.
“That’s why you’re eating first.” the monkey replied.
“Bye Onii-chan! Bye Axel-kun!” Madison called to us as we began our trip from the rocky ridge near the mouth of the cave down to the beach.
For this vacation, Axel and I decided that we would do no training or battling unless in self-defense like yesterday. However, that doesn’t mean a leisurely walk along the beach on a beautiful sunny morning was out of the question. The salty breeze was crisp and fresh, the sound of the waves was relaxing, and the shining sun was warm. While we walked, Axel and I lamented that we didn’t get to at least see Lugia like Madison did. Lucky girl.
I suddenly stopped cold in my tracks. I don’t know what it was, but I sensed something. Something felt horribly wrong. My heart began racing and my body began shaking.
“Brian. What’s wrong?” Axel asked in a serious, apprehensive voice. I looked out into the ocean. In the distance there was a gun metal black ship. There was some marking on the hull, but I couldn’t tell what it was from this angle at this distance. The sight of the ship only made this foreboding feeling stronger.
“We need to go back!” I yelled breaking into a run back the way we had come. I don’t know how I knew, but my instincts were telling me that that ship in the distance was dangerous. An agonizing scream could be heard as we neared the campsite. “Madison!” I shouted desperately as I picked up the pace.
A horrifying sight greeted me when I returned. Two men dressed in black with a red ‘R’ plastered on each of their shirts, white gloves and boots, and black hats stood behind two Houndoom, each spewing streams of orange fire from their maws onto their poor unsuspecting victim. My entire body quivered with rage.
“Axel! Destroy those Houndoom!” I roared my voice shaken with fury. The Infernape screamed as he ran to the demon dogs, tackling one into the other. The Dark Pokémon yelped in surprise as they were knocked away from their burning prey. In a single motion I grabbed Piloswine’s Great Ball and released the boar. “Powder Snow!” I commanded desperately. Piloswine blew a cold snowflake filled breath over the burning corpses putting out the fires. I collapsed to my knees over the two sets of remains. On was of a charred shriveled plant. A Cherrim! The other… No… the other was of a human girl! On parts of the body the flesh had been burned clean off the bone while in other parts only the skin was gone revealing the muscle tissue below. The most horrific part was how unrecognizable the body was, yet I could still identify the blackened remains by the remnants of pink hair on the front of the scalp, the single remaining brown eye, and what was left of the clothes. It was sickening!
“Oh Madison… What did they do to you?” I asked mournfully starting to cry. “Y-you… you’re supposed to be a Magical Girl right? Magical Girls can’t die… B-baka!” I screamed in a choking voice.
“Was that girl a friend of yours?” one of the murderous Rockets asked in a mocking tone. I looked up at the two criminals with an unforgiving gaze. I could barely see them as my eyes were blinded with tears. My entire being burned inside with a violent anger. They had just taken a life, no, two lives and they were making jokes!
“Friend?” I said shakily. “I was Madison’s Onii-chan. At first I hated the nickname, but more and more it grew on me until she finally did become like my little sister. Though we were not related by blood, I was as much her brother as I am my parent’s son.” My voice sounded calm, but it was seething with malice. “But you bastards took all that away! Madison was just a child, she had her whole life ahead of her! A little naïve, sure, but she would have overcome that! I will never forgive you for this! I’ll make you pay! I’ll make you hurt! I’ll destroy you!” I roared vengefully. My voice no longer sounded human.
“I’ve heard enough of this guy.” said the other Rocket pulling a knife from the belt his waist. “I’ll send you to hell to reunite with your sister!” he yelled lunging at me. I ran at the Rocket head on, the adrenaline rush from my bloodlust giving me deadly accuracy. As he stabbed at me, I grabbed his wrist in my right hand and thrust my left palm into his elbow causing it to shatter and his arm bend the opposite way it was supposed to. The Rocket let out a painful scream from the damage done to his arm. But I wasn’t done with this one, not yet. I picked up the knife he dropped when I destroyed his arm and slashed it across his throat before stabbing him between the eyes. The murderer fell to the ground dead himself.
“Madison was too sweet to go to hell, which is a good thing as she’ll never have to see you again.” I said without remorse or regret.
“Shit! You’re fucking insane!” the other killer screamed turning to run away.
“And you’re fucking dead! Don’t kill unless you are prepared to be killed!” I screamed giving chase. I was on him in a second. My body was powered by anger and hate; there was nothing I couldn’t catch. I pounced on my victim like a Persian on a Rattata. I flipped him around to face me, then punched him in the face causing his nose to shatter. I stood up, lifted the Rocket by his collar, and punched him back to the ground. I then sat on top of him planting my feet on his wrists so he couldn’t fight back. I furiously punched his face where every time I pulled a fist back the other one was already coming down on him again. I continued my relentless assault until my prey’s face no longer looked like a face, just a distorted mound of bleeding flesh. Yet he still managed to live.
“Monstah! Monstah!” he choked spitting teeth and blood at me.
“Monster? Me?” I asked hatefully. “You’re the one who killed a child! She did nothing wrong! Just in the wrong place at the wrong time! You didn’t need to kill her, you just did! I’m not the monster here, YOU are!” I wrapped both of my hand around the Rocket’s neck and began pressing down on his Adam ’s apple as hard as I could with my thumbs. “And now you will never speak again!” With every gasp of air the murderer made, I squeezed tighter and tighter until his trachea collapsed under the pressure and he breathed no more.
I sighed heavily as I began to regain my composure. Everything had happened so fast, so it took a while for it all to sink in, and when it did I screamed in horror.
“Wh-what have I done!?” I sobbed. I threw my blood soaked hands around my head and began griping trying to comprehend everything. “I… I killed them… I just killed two people! I’m no better than they are! I’m a murderer! There’s no forgiveness for this, I’ll go to jail for sure!” I looked around the area at the two people whose live I had taken. Then I saw Madison’s and Cherrim’s corpses.
“No. What am I saying? I’m not the murderer here, they are!” I realized. “They killed an innocent girl, they deserved to die! I was simply avenging the death of someone close to me. They killed for the fun of it! I’m right, they’re wrong! Strife Maxwell was right. This world is corrupt. The police are obviously not enough to set things right, hell, they’re part of the problem! This whole system is flawed! Only Team Neos can set this world straight, and to do that they’ll need all the help they can get, right Axel?” I asked the golden Infernape who had come up behind me during my rambling. “Right!?” I pressed.
“Yeah.” he said solemnly with a nod.
“That’s right.” I said with a dark grin. “Hmhmhmhmhm Hehehehehehe Ahahahahahaha AHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!”
And so I fell into maniacal laughter…
I held a long sturdy black fishing rod in my hands as far out as my arms would allow with a big chunk of meat dangling from the string. This was to serve as motivation for the giant rotund bear with midnight blue fur and a cream colored belly to Surf myself, Axel, and Madison down to the Whirl Islands. No ships would dare make the trip because of all of the whirlpools so I had to resort to my usual brilliance in unconventional means and use my Snorlax. The food would always be there, but he wouldn’t be able to reach it with his short arms until the task at hand was complete no matter how hard he swam. Sometimes it’s a good thing hunger and instinct outweigh good judgment and reason.
“Are we there yet Onii-chan?” asked Madison. My eye started twitching at the dreaded question. I have to take care of this now before it gets out of hand.
“No Madison, and if you ask again I’m throwing you off the Snorlax.” I answered trying to hide my annoyance.
“But I only asked once.” she said giving me a confused look. “It’s not like I was saying Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” she rambled on. I quickly felt what little sanity I had fading into nothingness.
“Gah! Axel! Shut her up!” I yelled trying to keep the fishing rod steady and hold my ears at the same time. I found it was an impossible move.
“Way ahead of ya.” Axel said pulling the duct tape from my backpack. Madison let out a frightened squeak as she put her hands on her mouth and curled into a ball.
“Don’t you think that’s a little harsh? It would be funny as hell, but then I’d have to deal with her crying when we finally took the tape off.” I said indifferently. The Infernape grunted in annoyance that he couldn’t have his fun in making Madison a silver mummy.
“Thanks Onii-chan.” said Madison gratefully. She crawled up Snorlax’s back and joined me near the shoulders where I was sitting with the fishing rod.
“What are you thanking me for? Silence is golden, duct tape is silver. If you get duct taped, I’ll never have silence again.” I said straightforwardly.
“You forgot to say ‘baka’ again.” she said.
“You are baka.” I said flatly which got a squee from Madison. Crazy weeaboo.
----------------
We could go no further. Whirlpools and rocks were everywhere blocking every possible route except the one we had come from. To keep Snorlax from killing us, I pulled in the meat and let him have at it.
“What now Onii-chan?” Madison asked hoping I’d have an answer. As always, I did.
“Give me a minute to put away this rod.” I said pulling out a grey orb that resembled a Pokéball but was used for an entirely different purpose. I held the Item Ball to the fishing rod and pulled back the latter item like how a Pokémon would be called back to its Pokéball. You got to hand it to the Devon Corporation; Item Balls sure make a Trainer’s life easier. It is possible to carry large items like fishing rods and bikes in a backpack along with tons of smaller items with these balls. After putting away the fishing rod, I pulled a Pokéball from my waist.
“Now to get to the islands.” I said sending out Aerodactyl. “All aboard!” The Fossil Pokémon swooped in low so that everyone could climb on his back. By the time everyone had gotten on the flier, Snorlax had finished his meal. I took out the Sleeping Pokémon’s Ultra Ball and called him back in a flash of red light for his nap.
We flew on Aerodactyl until reaching four rocky islands arranged in a spiral pattern, each one covered in rocks with some vegetation and surrounded by white sandy beaches. “Take the lower right one!” I called out pointing to the one I meant. The prehistoric beast pulled in his wings while tilting down into a dive. Madison screamed while I grinned in excitement from the adrenaline rush.
“That was scawy.” Madison sobbed as she clung to my torso for dear life even after we had already landed.
“Wuss.” I mocked. With a good bit of effort, I managed to peel the girl’s arms off of me. I then unmounted my noble stead with Axel following me. Madison got off less gracefully, first getting caught on one of Aerodactyl’s spikes causing her to slide before falling face first into the sand. Axel and I burst into laughter at the scene.
“It’s not funny!” she whined getting up while trying her hardest to brush the sand off of her clothes and out of her hair.
“Ha ha ha aha… *sigh* You’re right, it’s not funny.” I said catching my breath. “It’s hilarious!” I began laughing hysterically again. Axel held out his hand trying desperately to say something over his laughter so I gave him the high five he was looking for. All the while our female companion glared at us angrily for getting so much amusement at her expense.
“Hmph!” she pouted turning her head away from us.
“Aw. Don’t get mad. It’s vacation, you have to unwind.” I encouraged. “Besides, you should already know that me and Axel are easily entertained. Now get your bathing suit on! We’re going swimming!” I declared already taking my shirt off.
“But where do I change?” asked Madison nervously as she began looking around.
“Well, you could be ridiculously prepared like me,” I dropped my pants to reveal that I already had my suit on, “or you can duck behind those bushes over there.” I said pointing to a small patch of green foliage roughly fifty feet up the beach. The brush was actually closer to the rocky part of the island than the sand.
“But--” she started.
“Look. You already know I’m not a lolicon and I’m the only boy on the island. All I care about is going swimming so I certainly won’t peek on you. swim. Use your Pokémon for protection if you’re scared.” I pointed out, now fully undressed save my swimwear. Madison nodded and ran up the beach to her hiding place.
“Enjoy yourself. I’m not going past the high tide mark.” Axel said bitterly. Such is my one disadvantage of having a Fire-type. He’ll join me in all of my crazy endeavors except the ones that will get him wet.
“Then let me give you some company.” I said picking up my other Pokémon’s balls. Snorlax, Piloswine, Riolu, and Beldum joined Aerodactyl and Axel on the beach. “It’s everyone’s vacation so have fun doing as you please.” I encouraged.
With that, I turned toward Kyogre’s realm and ran headlong down the sand to the sea. My speed was gradually diminished the further out I got, starting with kicking water everywhere at the tide line, to hopping on the bottom until I could no longer feel it. Once I could no longer feel anything but cold water under my feet, I leaned forward into prone position and began breast stroking out further. The water was not as rough as one might think from all the whirlpools everywhere. But it was also not what I would call calm either. Something in the middle I would say.
“Onii-chan!” Madison called from the shoreline waving at me. I turned around bobbing in the water. From what I could see from my location, she was wearing a pinkish purple one piece and standing about ankle deep. I waved back at her and Riolu who was doggy paddling just a few feet from Madison. Aerodactyl was perched on one of the many rocks that littered the shore, Snorlax was sleeping lazily on the beach with Axel leaning against his bulk, Piloswine looked like he was digging a hole in the sand with his tusks, and Beldum just floated around aimlessly. Mimi, Maki, Chuchu, Fluffy, Ichi, and Cherrim were also out and about with Maki swimming alongside Riolu. Suddenly, Riolu stopped his leisurely swim and looked toward me with a startled bark. Axel also got up off of Snorlax and ran to the tide line.
“Brian! Get back here now!” the monkey shouted urgently.
“Onii-chan!” Madison screamed frantically. I didn’t even need to guess why they were so worked up, I already knew. No sooner had Riolu’s head perked up, I felt the water around me recede. I quickly turned my head around to see a huge tidal wave looming over head.
“Oh shi--!” was all I could scream before all that water came crashing down on me. I felt like I was in a whirlwind of madness. I couldn’t tell which direction was up, down, left, right, forward, or behind as I spiraled through the water. The answer only came when I bounced on my back against the sandy bottom, then again when I was lifted back up, spun around, and dropped on my left shoulder.
When the currents seemed to calm down, I was finally able to pick myself up and get the much needed air that my lungs burned for. I tried wiping the salty water from my eyes to see where I was, but that only made things worse as my hands were also dripping wet. I finally got my eyes open enough to see that I was about knee deep facing the ocean and another wave was heading my way. This one, however, broke just before hitting me, but sent gallons of water hitting me below the waist like a punch to the balls. I fell on my ass from the impact with the wind knocked out of me.
I got up again and staggered back to the beach completely dizzy from the shellshock. I couldn’t even walk in a straight line and almost fell twice. My nose and eyes burned from the salt water and my mouth felt dry. Despite it all, I was laughing maniacally. I have never been thrashed so badly before and I liked it. If I could, I would love to go through that all over again without any changes.
“Onii-chan! Are you ok!? You’re bleeding!” Madison cried. Bleeding? I looked at my left shoulder, the one I had landed on. It had a few scrapes on it but other than that it was nothing serious. My back was probably the same way. Axel walked up next to me when I got out of the water in case I needed anything or fell from dizziness.
“Grab me a bottle of water.” I told the Infernape as I sat down with my legs up for balance. I started spitting to get all the salt out of my mouth. Not exactly an easy task. Axel came back and handed me a fresh bottle from my backpack. I accepted and began chugging to rehydrate myself. After my drink, I used what was left in the bottle to wash out my mouth by rinsing and spitting the mixture into the sand.
“Onii-chaaaaan!” Madison called obnoxiously trying to get my attention.
“I’m fine Madison.” I said with a sigh. I started sniffing inward until I finally forced out a sneeze that had been bothering me for the last couple of minutes. It was a very phlegmy sneeze as it was taking all of the ocean’s dissolved particles with it. “Very fine.”
--------------
That night after my epic experience, we had a bonfire complement of Axel. For dinner we had hotdogs, followed by s’mores for dessert. While we ate, we told random stories of past endeavors and complete fantasy. By this time, Madison had changed into a pair of beige shorts and a pink Magical Girl hoodie. All I did was put my shirt back on.
“Then when it looked like I was about to lose, Axel let out a furious roar. He was consumed by his Blaze aura and began growing and changing. When the flames dissipated, my Monferno was gone, replaced by the badass Infernape you see here. Whitney’s Miltank didn’t stand a chance.” I said telling Madison about my last trip to Johto.
“True story. Afterward we had burgers.” Axel added. I began chuckling evilly remembering how we called our lunch that day Whitney’s Miltank.
“Wow.” Madison said in amazement. “Onii-chan and Axel had lots of fun huh?”
“We still are. You can too.” I looked at my watch. It read 11:29p. “Tis getting late. Have Maki put out this fire so we can go to bed. Tomorrow will be another day of unplanned fun.”
Even with the light of the fire completely gone so that even sparks didn’t remain, the beach was still bathed in the light of the almost full moon and stars. Even the ocean had a soft glow of Staryus and Chinchous beneath the surface. I was slowly lulled to sleep by the peaceful sound of the waves which was all that could be heard in the silence of the night.
--------------
Was it humming? No. It sounded more like singing. It was so calm… soothing… and peaceful. It sounded like a happy song. Or was it sad? I guess melancholy would be the right word to describe it. Whatever it was, it was relaxing. Like every worry or problem I had was gone. It was just me and the song.
“Onii-chan wake up!” I lazily opened one eye to see Madison crouching over me. I wish it was just me and the song. Wait! The song. It was gone. Had I just been dreaming it?
“What do you want?” I asked groggily. The sky was still dark with the only sign of morning being a thin azure glow on the eastern horizon.
“I saw a big silver bird.” she whispered. I was slightly intrigued, but not enough to get up. I took a quick look at my watch which read 5:38a.
“You’re dreaming. Go back to sleep.” I advised as I rolled back over.
“It wasn’t a dream. I really saw it. It came out of the ocean and flew to one of the other islands.” Madison went on. It is way too early for this.
“Alright, fine. Show me where you saw this ‘silver bird’ of yours.” I said drowsily getting up. “Let me just get dressed first.” When I had at least gotten some pants on I kicked Axel to wake him up too.
“Man. I was having such a nice dream too. That was a beautiful song.” the monkey groaned at being woken up so early.
As Madison dragged us to the northern part of the island, I began hearing screeches and fluttering. It definitely sounded like a bird, or rather multiple birds. The sound was coming from behind one of the tallest of the many rock formations. When we rounded the corner, we were greeted by a sight like no other. The north side of the beach was littered with dozens of Tentacool, Chinchou, Shellder, and Mantine carcasses. Above them were dozens, maybe even hundreds more Wingulls having a feeding frenzy on the all-you-can-eat-buffet that covered the sand. One of the bird Pokémon was picking the eye out of a deceased Tentacool while another ripped out the soft insides of a Shellder. There was more going on than I could possibly describe. I was left awe struck. How did so many Pokémon wash up on the beach like this? What could have done this? As bizarre as this situation was, it did answer one question.
“There’s your silver bird Madison.” I said pointing to the flock of Wingull. “The morning light, or lack thereof, must have reflected off of their white feathers making them look silver. And because there are so many, they looked like one giant bird.” I explained.
“That’s not it!” Madison responded adamantly. “It wasn’t Wingull. It was ginormous and it flew over to that island!” she said pointing in the distance to a rock peak. “We have to go!” Persistent as always.
“Madison, the sun isn’t even up yet. I’m on vacation, I’m tired, I’m going back to bed.” I said leaving no room for argument. “However, you have aroused my curiosity. When I wake up for real we can investigate this silver bird of yours after breakfast. Until then, don’t wake me.”
-----------------
True to my word, the three of us flew on Aerodactyl to the specified island four hours later. It took some work getting around the Wingull, but after that it was a smooth flight. Between the two islands in the ocean were several violent whirlpools grouped together in one area. The strange thing about them was the way they were spiraling. It was as if they were pulling water from the surface to fill a void left below, like a giant mass rose from the sea at a very high velocity. I suddenly remembered something Axel said earlier that I was too tired to process at the time.
“Axel, you said you had a dream about singing earlier. What was it like?” I questioned.
“I don’t know. It sounded kinda lonely but at the same time reassuring.” Axel tried explaining.
“I also had a dream about singing.” Madison added with excitement.
“You too?” I inquired in disbelief. “Do you remember how it went?”
“Mhm. It was something like…” she closed her eyes and began humming. That was it! That was exactly what I heard in my dream. Axel had the same surprised look as I did.
“This is no coincidence. There is no way all of us had the same dream about a song none of us have ever heard before.” I acknowledged. “No, it wasn’t a dream. We must have been hearing the song at the exact same time.”
“Do you think it was the silver bird?” asked Madison. Aerodactyl landed on the island’s mountain near a cave.
“Maybe.” I said hopping off. This time I helped Madison off so she wouldn’t hurt herself on the jagged rocks in the area. I recalled Aerodactyl to his Pokéball before walking into the cave. Axel walked in front as our light while I brought up the rear with Madison in the middle so she wouldn’t get lost. Most caves I have found are very treacherous and can be deadly if you don’t know where you’re going or you don’t take proper precaution ahead of time.
Rather than seek out the silver bird itself, we decided to look for traces it had been here: feathers, bird poo, footprints, or anything else relevant to the search. The next best thing would be if we heard it, with the best being actually seeing it. I debated on whether or not I should try to catch it or not. I guess it would depend on the situation.
“WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!” Madison suddenly screamed as she jumped back into me. I caught her in my arms and helped her regain her balance.
“What’s wrong?” I asked in concern.
“S-so-something touched my leg!” she wailed hysterically. I wordlessly directed Axel to turn his head to where Madison had been standing. Running away from the light was a decent sized red crab with its pinchers elevated above its body.
“It’s just a Krabby silly.” I reassured. “I’m sure there are many more Wild Pokémon in here. Now come. We have a silver bird to seek.” Madison whined as I pushed her forward to keep going.
The deeper we went, the colder it got. It was nowhere near as cold as the Ice Path where I could see my breath, but it was enough to make my exposed arms tingly. Some paths were open, allowing us to go anywhere. Others were narrow, forcing us in one specific direction without the option of turning around. Inside the cave there were also hills, some so steep we had to go over one at a time so we wouldn’t fall into each other while using the wall in an attempt to maintain balance. Others were flat enough that it didn’t even feel like a hill. There were also random tunnels in various places leading to different “rooms” inside the cave. More than once Madison let out a pathetic whimper from something that scared her, usually the occasional Zubat.
“Can we go now Onii-chan?” she asked nervously. I stopped in my tracks which told Axel to do the same when he looked back and saw we weren’t moving.
“Go? You’re the one who wanted to find the silver bird!” I reminded. “Where be ye sense of adventarre?” I asked pirate like. “You commented last night how Axel and I had a lot of fun. Now’s your chance! Even if this search is a bust, you can still brag later that you explored the deep, dank, and dark caverns of the Whirl Islands in search of a rare silver bird! No go forth! See this to the end!”
With my encouraging speech, Axel moved forward again. Madison reluctantly followed, with me behind them. I noticed the small child was shaking despite hugging herself for warmth. I walked closer and leaned forward to talk in her ear. “If you’re cold, get closer to Axel’s fire. If you’re scared, don’t be. We’ll protect you from any harm. Kay?”
“Okay!” Madison said happily. “I know I can trust Onii-chan!”
As we walked down one particular tunnel, the floor started getting damper, most likely from the water dripping from the ceiling. Every step we took caused the floor to splash. Every drop that fell did nothing to me, but made Madison jump and Axel grumble. A new scent slowly filled the cavern. It was the smell of water. When we exited the tunnel, we were on a subterranean island possibly big enough to fit me, Madison, and all twelve of our Pokémon with only a little bit of room to spare. The smell of water came from the water surrounding the island. I slowly walked across the slippery damp surface to the edge. I got on my knees, stuck my face in the water, and sucked in, something I immediately regret doing. I quickly pulled my head out and started spitting.
“Don’t drink that! It’s brackish.” I warned.
“What does brackish mean?” asked Madison putting her index finger to her mouth cluelessly. I informed her three times that it meant it was salt water, but not as salty as the ocean as she didn’t quite get it the first two times. My theory was that the water was once fresh ground water, but being surrounded by the ocean, salt water gradually seeped in as well. I decided not to voice that theory out loud as I really don’t feel like explaining it five different times.
“Looks like we can go no further. Time to turn around and go back.” I said dejectedly.
“Why can’t we get on Snorlax and see where the water goes?” Madison inquired.
“You don’t hear it?” I asked noting a roar in the distance. Madison looked around obliviously before shaking her head. “That is the sound of crashing water meaning there’s a waterfall nearby.” I informed. “If we go down that waterfall, we’re screwed. It’s better to cut our losses now and say we tried, than to do something stupid and end up dead.”
“Why not try a different corridor and see where it leads?” asked Axel.
“Simply put, we’ve been in here for almost five hours. In another five hours it will be almost dusk. That’s providing we take the exact path back that we took getting here. One wrong move and we may not be getting out of here until midnight.” I explained.
After sending my charges back the way we came, I noted that it was just as difficult to get around if not more. Just like getting to this point, we had to deal with treacherous terrain and maze-like structures. What made it more difficult was remembering which way we had come from; exactly as I predicted. It got to the point that I had to carry Madison on my back because she was too tired to keep going.
“We’ll rest here for a little while.” I declared after climbing up a particularly steep hill. Even I had reached my limits, plus with Madison now asleep, she was dead weight and wouldn’t be able to hold on to me if I needed to use my hands for any reason. Axel sighed with relief. Obviously he only kept going for me. I had the Flame Pokémon take the sleeping girl off of my back and lay her on a flatter surface of the bumpy ground. I sat down and started rubbing my shoulders.
“So what do you think it was? The silver bird I mean.” the golden monkey inquired taking a seat next to me.
“Honestly, I’m thinking Lugia.” I admit as I leaned forward to stretch my back muscles.
“Lugia huh?”
“Mhm.” I nodded. “Johto legend speaks of a Great Silver Guardian that used to reside atop the Brass Tower before fleeing when a lightning bolt burned the tower to the ground. Over the last couple of centuries sailors and fishermen have been spreading rumors of a silver beast that causes storms near the Whirl Islands. I think they are one and the same and that the silver bird Madison saw is in fact Lugia. The song that we all heard was my first hint that what we were looking for is actually real. But there are other clues that I think all go together. The tidal wave that hit me yesterday was the only one that hit all day leading me to believe some unusual force caused it. A bigger one must have struck last night while we were sleeping to wash all of those Pokémon onto the beach. Adding that to those violent whirlpools that we saw in the ocean between the islands has led me to the conclusion that something big and powerful rose from the depths in the last 24 hours. My tidal wave was just the first ripple of Lugia’s rising. The other came when it emerged. Madison must have woken up and seen it before it flew over to this island. Whether or not it actually landed here, I’m stumped given that we have found no further evidence, but at least we know what it is we’re dealing with.” I explained.
“It makes perfect sense. You’ve been think about that a lot haven’t you?” he inquired sounding impressed.
“What else would I have been doing all this time? I can’t not think.” I confessed. I looked over at Madison who was sleeping so peacefully. “We might as well get some rest too. She doesn’t look like she’ll be getting up anytime soon.”
“You rest. I’ll take the first watch.” Axel offered.
“No, you sleep too. You’re our light source.” I said releasing Riolu from his Pokéball. “He’ll watch. Rio, if you sense anything, wake us up before it gets here.” I instructed. Riolu nodded in compliance before closing his eyes to survey the area. I laid back and threw my hands behind my head as a pillow. Axel curled up next me and closed his eyes. It didn’t take long for me to join him.
---------------
I was the first to wake up, followed by Axel a few minutes later. Madison could probably out sleep Snorlax with how long she’s been out. I’ll give her ten more minutes. After that I’m waking her up in the most interesting way I can think of.
“3… 2… 1. Time’s up.” I said after the allotted ten minutes before unleashing Aerodactyl.
“What’s he for?” Axel asked warily.
“Watch. Roar Aerodactyl!” I commanded. The Fossil Pokémon inhaled deeply prior to releasing a frightening ear shattering shriek that echoed off of the cavern walls giving it a more ominous and sinister sound. Madison awoke with a terrified scream while I laughed my ass off at how evil I can be.
“It’s not funny Onii-chan!!” my victim yelled. My amusement ceased when Riolu tugging at my pants leg with a nervous look on his face. Answering Aerodactyl’s call was a loud cry that echoed from deep in the cave. The howl was like nothing I had ever heard in my life. It was one of power that commanded respect.
“You’re right Madison. Perhaps I did go too far this time.” I admit with an uneasy tone. “But we can talk about that later. Right now I think I just pissed off Lugia. Run!” I ordered trying to hide my panic. The sound of multiple beating wings could be heard as a swarm of Zubat flooded the corridor we were in. They were most likely startled by Aerodactyl’s and that other creature’s roars.
“You’ve really done it now, haven’t you?” Axel chastised.
“You can tell me off later! Right now move it!” I yelled after returning Riolu and Aerodactyl to their respective balls. We kept the same pecking order to ensure that no one got left behind. That made life rather difficult for me as I was the one who was harassed the most by those bloodsucking fiends.
“That’s enough!” I proclaimed. “Come back out Aerodactyl!” I summoned releasing the stone grey winged terror. “Scatter these Zubat with Supersonic and Roar!” I threw my hands over my ears as I expected the Supersonic to vibrate off of the walls just like Roar did, and confusion at a time like this would be pretty bad. “Cover your ears everyone!” I shouted. The ancient Pokémon opened his mouth releasing a shrill screech that sent the Zubat into disarray. Once they started swarming aimlessly, Aerodactyl let out another fearsome roar sending the Bat Pokémon back into the depths of the cave they came from.
“Is it over?” Madison asked hopefully. Before I could say yes, another wild bat dropped from the ceiling, this one with a huge gapping mouth lined with sharp fangs. In a sense it was a flying mouth as the feet came out of the jaw and the wings were attached to the cheeks. Jeez, it’s one thing after another here. The Golbat spit out its long saliva covered tongue as it screeched a cry rivaling Aerodactyl’s.
“I’ve had enough of this!” I said angrily. I called Aerodactyl back to his Pokéball while readying a Great Ball. “Finish this Piloswine!” I called sending out a large pig Pokémon covered in coarse brown fur with two large tusks protruding from his mouth. “Icy Wind!” The wooly boar blew a freezing breath at the evolved Bat Pokémon that crystallized the cave’s water vapor into a white icy mist. The Golbat shrieked with displeasure from the Super-effective hit as it flew into the abyss.
“I say we get the hell out before a Crobat decides it wants to join the party as well.” I said sarcastically. I will be willing to admit this was my fault after we get out of the cave.
------------
Hours passed until we finally reached the mouth of the cavern, recognizable only for the moonlight shining in. According to my watch it was 1:11a. We would have made better time had we not taken that rest or been attacked by deranged Zubat, but I digress. We found Lugia, even if we only heard its cry, so the trip wasn’t a total waste. Plus, it is always fun to explore new places just to see what can be found.
“It’s late, so I say we sleep here tonight.” I said taking a seat followed by a yawn.
“Ok. Good night Onii-chan.” Madison said after her own yawn while rubbing her eyes.
“Night ya lazy monkeys.” Axel said tiredly.
-------------
“I’m going for an early morning walk. You wanna come with?” I asked Madison the following morning.
“No thanks Onii-chan. I’m making us breakfast today.” she said confidently.
“You!?” I questioned in shock. “Ooookaaaay. Axel my friend, I have a feeling one of us is going to die today.” I joked.
“That’s why you’re eating first.” the monkey replied.
“Bye Onii-chan! Bye Axel-kun!” Madison called to us as we began our trip from the rocky ridge near the mouth of the cave down to the beach.
For this vacation, Axel and I decided that we would do no training or battling unless in self-defense like yesterday. However, that doesn’t mean a leisurely walk along the beach on a beautiful sunny morning was out of the question. The salty breeze was crisp and fresh, the sound of the waves was relaxing, and the shining sun was warm. While we walked, Axel and I lamented that we didn’t get to at least see Lugia like Madison did. Lucky girl.
I suddenly stopped cold in my tracks. I don’t know what it was, but I sensed something. Something felt horribly wrong. My heart began racing and my body began shaking.
“Brian. What’s wrong?” Axel asked in a serious, apprehensive voice. I looked out into the ocean. In the distance there was a gun metal black ship. There was some marking on the hull, but I couldn’t tell what it was from this angle at this distance. The sight of the ship only made this foreboding feeling stronger.
“We need to go back!” I yelled breaking into a run back the way we had come. I don’t know how I knew, but my instincts were telling me that that ship in the distance was dangerous. An agonizing scream could be heard as we neared the campsite. “Madison!” I shouted desperately as I picked up the pace.
A horrifying sight greeted me when I returned. Two men dressed in black with a red ‘R’ plastered on each of their shirts, white gloves and boots, and black hats stood behind two Houndoom, each spewing streams of orange fire from their maws onto their poor unsuspecting victim. My entire body quivered with rage.
“Axel! Destroy those Houndoom!” I roared my voice shaken with fury. The Infernape screamed as he ran to the demon dogs, tackling one into the other. The Dark Pokémon yelped in surprise as they were knocked away from their burning prey. In a single motion I grabbed Piloswine’s Great Ball and released the boar. “Powder Snow!” I commanded desperately. Piloswine blew a cold snowflake filled breath over the burning corpses putting out the fires. I collapsed to my knees over the two sets of remains. On was of a charred shriveled plant. A Cherrim! The other… No… the other was of a human girl! On parts of the body the flesh had been burned clean off the bone while in other parts only the skin was gone revealing the muscle tissue below. The most horrific part was how unrecognizable the body was, yet I could still identify the blackened remains by the remnants of pink hair on the front of the scalp, the single remaining brown eye, and what was left of the clothes. It was sickening!
“Oh Madison… What did they do to you?” I asked mournfully starting to cry. “Y-you… you’re supposed to be a Magical Girl right? Magical Girls can’t die… B-baka!” I screamed in a choking voice.
“Was that girl a friend of yours?” one of the murderous Rockets asked in a mocking tone. I looked up at the two criminals with an unforgiving gaze. I could barely see them as my eyes were blinded with tears. My entire being burned inside with a violent anger. They had just taken a life, no, two lives and they were making jokes!
“Friend?” I said shakily. “I was Madison’s Onii-chan. At first I hated the nickname, but more and more it grew on me until she finally did become like my little sister. Though we were not related by blood, I was as much her brother as I am my parent’s son.” My voice sounded calm, but it was seething with malice. “But you bastards took all that away! Madison was just a child, she had her whole life ahead of her! A little naïve, sure, but she would have overcome that! I will never forgive you for this! I’ll make you pay! I’ll make you hurt! I’ll destroy you!” I roared vengefully. My voice no longer sounded human.
“I’ve heard enough of this guy.” said the other Rocket pulling a knife from the belt his waist. “I’ll send you to hell to reunite with your sister!” he yelled lunging at me. I ran at the Rocket head on, the adrenaline rush from my bloodlust giving me deadly accuracy. As he stabbed at me, I grabbed his wrist in my right hand and thrust my left palm into his elbow causing it to shatter and his arm bend the opposite way it was supposed to. The Rocket let out a painful scream from the damage done to his arm. But I wasn’t done with this one, not yet. I picked up the knife he dropped when I destroyed his arm and slashed it across his throat before stabbing him between the eyes. The murderer fell to the ground dead himself.
“Madison was too sweet to go to hell, which is a good thing as she’ll never have to see you again.” I said without remorse or regret.
“Shit! You’re fucking insane!” the other killer screamed turning to run away.
“And you’re fucking dead! Don’t kill unless you are prepared to be killed!” I screamed giving chase. I was on him in a second. My body was powered by anger and hate; there was nothing I couldn’t catch. I pounced on my victim like a Persian on a Rattata. I flipped him around to face me, then punched him in the face causing his nose to shatter. I stood up, lifted the Rocket by his collar, and punched him back to the ground. I then sat on top of him planting my feet on his wrists so he couldn’t fight back. I furiously punched his face where every time I pulled a fist back the other one was already coming down on him again. I continued my relentless assault until my prey’s face no longer looked like a face, just a distorted mound of bleeding flesh. Yet he still managed to live.
“Monstah! Monstah!” he choked spitting teeth and blood at me.
“Monster? Me?” I asked hatefully. “You’re the one who killed a child! She did nothing wrong! Just in the wrong place at the wrong time! You didn’t need to kill her, you just did! I’m not the monster here, YOU are!” I wrapped both of my hand around the Rocket’s neck and began pressing down on his Adam ’s apple as hard as I could with my thumbs. “And now you will never speak again!” With every gasp of air the murderer made, I squeezed tighter and tighter until his trachea collapsed under the pressure and he breathed no more.
I sighed heavily as I began to regain my composure. Everything had happened so fast, so it took a while for it all to sink in, and when it did I screamed in horror.
“Wh-what have I done!?” I sobbed. I threw my blood soaked hands around my head and began griping trying to comprehend everything. “I… I killed them… I just killed two people! I’m no better than they are! I’m a murderer! There’s no forgiveness for this, I’ll go to jail for sure!” I looked around the area at the two people whose live I had taken. Then I saw Madison’s and Cherrim’s corpses.
“No. What am I saying? I’m not the murderer here, they are!” I realized. “They killed an innocent girl, they deserved to die! I was simply avenging the death of someone close to me. They killed for the fun of it! I’m right, they’re wrong! Strife Maxwell was right. This world is corrupt. The police are obviously not enough to set things right, hell, they’re part of the problem! This whole system is flawed! Only Team Neos can set this world straight, and to do that they’ll need all the help they can get, right Axel?” I asked the golden Infernape who had come up behind me during my rambling. “Right!?” I pressed.
“Yeah.” he said solemnly with a nod.
“That’s right.” I said with a dark grin. “Hmhmhmhmhm Hehehehehehe Ahahahahahaha AHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!”
And so I fell into maniacal laughter…