Chapter 28- Omen

After the sobering realization of what happened during the last year or so, the mood in the restaurant was a bit strained but in the end, we moved past it and enjoyed ourselves, or at least tried to.

My mind kept thinking back to not only Ingo but mostly Emmet. Ingo at least had the small grace of suffering from something like amnesia… while his twin was left with a gaping hole and no answer…

I was exceptionally torn because I knew the truth. But should I really be telling him what happened? It’s not like it would change anything since he would still be separated from his twin. He would get closure true but then what? Also, how the hell am I supposed to explain how I know what I do? It’s not like I could come out and say ‘So your brother was swallowed by what is basically a hole through the fabric of reality and is now stuck in the past of a country on the other side of the word and is now guiding people through a mountain pass.’

Even thinking about it made me sound insane and that was with me being aware of the reason why.

Funnily enough, it was Nike who ended up pulling me out of my thoughts by repeatedly prodding me.

Ok?

Came a whisper-like voice and I winced from the small headache it caused me. I was grateful for the distraction and let her know that it was fine. I had at least my Pokemon to distract me. Also with Lilligant being here, there was no way to be certain that Ingo would be stuck there. Heck, a certain detective also got sucked through the fabric of reality and reemerged so who was to stay it was impossible?

With my self-conviction out of the way, I actually managed to enjoy the rest of the evening. Our corner became even more rowdy when Nike tried to float some food from Skoll’s plate only to have Tia lunge and snap it out of the air. Between the look of shock and betrayal on Nike’s face, Skoll’s annoyed expression, and Tia's satisfied one, the entire burst out laughing.

The rest of the evening went without a fuss and everyone enjoyed themselves, free of any worry.

Walking up the next morning was an exercise by itself. As it turned out food coma I a very real reality and I experienced it much like my Pokemon. Thankfully there was no need to put an alarm clock for today, meaning I was able to sleep in as long as I wanted.

Deciding that staying in bed wouldn’t be a productive way to spend my remaining time in Castelia, I carefully exited the bed to not wake the sleeping logs up. Nike was splayed on the other pillow with Skoll lying in the spot just below. Throwing my legs off the bed I had to be careful not to step on Tia who decided that the ground next to the bed was where she felt more comfortable.

By the time I was ready to go out, Skoll was fully awake and training while Nike was still emerging. Tia was still out cold, which earned her a return to the capsule. We could not stay indefinitely in the room since we were leaving today. I made my way downstairs where I handed my keys to the reception and settled in for an extremely light breakfast. After yesterday, it would be better to lay off the food for now.

I had the time to finish eating and even got some training done before Sera emerged from her room. And judging from her face she was regretting the indulgence of yesterday's night as much as I did. Once she was a bit more awake we elected to simply relax while waiting for Mathew.

“So what are you doing now?” She asked after a bit of small talk.

“Depends on what you mean by that,” I answered unsure.

“I mean moves for your team. You keep teaching them more and more moves.” She answered.

“Oh,” I took a second to consider the question before answering. “Right now, the trickiest one is Nike since I want her to learn Trick Room. The rest is pretty much the same. Skoll with Drain Punch and Tiamat with Earth Power. What about you?”

“Humm,” She toyed with her mug while thinking about it. “ Well, I’m thinking of having Luxio work her way up to Thunderbolt, but I also want her to help Litleo learn Thunder Fang as well. Maybe she can learn Fire Fang but it’s not a necessity. I don’t think Tirtouga is up for battle yet and I don’t know what to do for Rufflet.”

“Is there an issue? It didn’t seem bad during the gym.” I asked thinking that maybe they didn’t get along yet.

“No! Nothing like that. I just don’t really know what to teach him for now …”

“How about going for Roost first.” A new voice interjected lazily.

Turning around Mathew just entered the Lobby with his sister in toe.

“Good morning.” She greeted us.

Once we greeted them back, we settled and continued the conversation where we left it.

“Why Roost specifically?” Sera asked even though she was already thinking about how to proceed.

“Well, they are known to keep fighting regardless of the fight. I have a buddy who struggled with his own Rufflet because they are not the most defensive Pokemon out there. At least with Roost, you get a bit of recovery to help with that”

As he explained I kept going over Sera’s plan. She didn’t ask me for advice, but it was almost a reflex by now to think about what to do. Teaching Thunder Fang to Litleo would be perfect for coverage against people who would use water type. Thunderbolt for Luxio was only a matter of time in my mind and with the suggestion of Roost for Rufflet, it seemed like she would be set for a little while.

I say that while my team was trying to learn more than one move each except for Tia. But then again, there wasn’t much for before the evolution into a Vibrava.

“Speaking of recovery, do you think you can help me and Skoll learn Drain Punch?” I finally asked.

“Sure, I’m sure Skoll would learn a lot faster with Lilligant teaching.” He said with a smirk.

We all chuckled at that. Even though he was trying to play it off no one fell for it. Except maybe Lilligant herself.

“More seriously, are you guys ready for the desert?” Ally asked us. “Unlike last time you will have to go straight through it.”

“I think we are as ready as we can get. Especially now that we have a dedicated water type.” I said while nudging Sera.

“Just so you know, I am charging you every time you ask her for anything.” She announced.

“What? How is that fair?” I exclaimed.

“It’s not.”

“Tch!”

This time instead of Skoll the table was laughing at my expense. Regardless, I knew that she would not do such a thing… probably anyway.

After they were done laughing at me, we decided it was time to get a move on. The sun was still rising but it was already considerably higher than I would have liked when crossing a desert. Although, with autumn coming to a close it should be bearable.

Ally decided to accompany us until we reached the connector. Once inside we took a minute to make sure there was nothing abnormal that warranted our attention. Apart from a troop of Hippowdon and Hippopotas spotted in the western part, there was nothing of note. I was also glad it was out of our way since I didn’t want to test whether their temper was better than hippopotamus. Finally, we bid our goodbyes and set off.

A small mercy is that while the desert is vast, the road to Nimbassa was known. It also went close enough to several oases that even unprepared trainers would have no trouble crossing it if they stuck to the charted path. With the assistance of our resident ranger, we would be able to cut our travel time by a few days by ignoring some of the twists in the road.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Back in Castelia, I was walking alone because while Nike got better it still tired her. Now that we were out though I released her and Tia at my side. I didn’t release Skoll because his fur was even worse than Nike’s hair. With our more relaxed pace, I was also able to let Tia happily stomp after us rather than holding her in my arms. While her species was on the lighter side for Pokemon, her above-than-average size meant that I would have been holding on roughly 20 kg for the duration of the travel. No, thank you!

The first day of travel was the ideal walk. If not for the waves upon waves of rippling sand I would have said it was a walk in the park even. We made good time and reached an oasis for the night before the sun was hidden by the sandy ocean. That also meant more time for training. At least until night came at that point it became too cold to stay far from the fire. We also opted to sleep without the tent above our heads, opting to use them as extra layers between us and the chilled sand of the night. It wasn’t like there was any risk of getting drenched by the rain in the middle of a desert. Between the folded-up tents beneath us and the fire that burned through the night, it did not get too cold.

Sera was the most comfortable since she snuggled up to Litleo. The fire lion was more than content with this arrangement and purred up a storm that made Sera’s smile widen in her sleep. The picture of her dumb smile also served as a nice bargaining chip when she nagged me too much, so it was positive all around.

The second day was a bit more chaotic. We ended up stumbling upon a colony of Dwebbble and Crustle that relocated between Mathew’s last visit and now. He made a note to report it, but making a detour did mean that we ended up having to make an extra stop. It was either that or sleep in the open, which was unanimously rejected. Still, the closest oasis was a bit out of our planned itinerary.

Worse, that night was even colder than the previous one. Even with the heavier clothes I had, I don’t think I would have been able to sleep at all if not for Amphaross. It turned out she could still very much produce the wool that her pre-evo are known for. According to Mathew, a bit of electricity is all it takes to produce a good amount. And that was how I found myself cosplaying as a Wooloo in the middle of the desert.

“Are we still on time to reach the town tomorrow?” Sera asked as we lay around the fire.

Mathew checked his Transceiver before answering. “It will be tight, but we should be able to make it.”

That also meant that Tia would likely have to stay in her ball tomorrow. That was bummer but I was sure she would understand.

Also, waking up early is much easier when there is nothing to hide the sun from your face. More like, you didn’t get the chance to refuse. It was fast to get up and get ready for another enticing view of sand, sand, and more sand.

All was going well for the first half of the travel. Without going slower for Tia to follow on her own, we made good progress with Mathew at the helm. So, it was a surprise when I bumped into him. looking up, I met an almost frightened gaze. When I looked ahead, however, I understood why and was certain my face now mirrored his.

Sitting right in front of us was a Pokemon with a mostly white fur of coat. Piercing red eyes fixed us intently while a patch of dark her on its forehead gave us the impression that three eyes stared at us instead of two. On one side of its head, a black sickle-like horn protruded and pointed defiantly toward the sky, while on the other side, a tuff of white hair hung loosely toward the ground. As if it was waiting for us to fully take its form, it slowly stood up once we all noticed it. It calmly turned around, revealing a black tail, a walked away after throwing one last glance at us.

Absol, the Disaster Pokemon.

Mathew was the first one to snap out of his daze and take action. Two flashes of light erupted and deposited Sawsbuck and Mandibuzz. The stag looked less than pleased until it noticed the serious look on Mathew.

“Was that…” I muttered dumbly.

“Yes, but we don't have time for that.” Mathew snapped. “ Mandibuzz I need you to carry the two of them to Mirage Village. Full speed. I am right behind you don’t worry.” The last part was spoken to us.

I wanted to argue but he was right now was not the right time. Absol was long thought to be a Pokemon that caused disaster, as evidenced by its classification in the Pokedex. It took way too long for the people to realize that Absol was not causing the disaster but was rather trying to prevent the people from getting wiped out. Seeing an Absol was generally a ‘get the fuck out of wherever you are’ kind of sign. By the time people figured it out, Absols were already driven far from the populations with only a few sightings here and there.

Without time to properly argue, we simply followed his instructions. Mandibuzz was affixed with the same saddle that he used last time he took off with her, only this time there was an additional apparatus on the ground. If I had to describe it, it looked like a delta plane, with a sort of cloth and the bottom and no handle though there were straps. The handles were where the wings should have been, which was strange.

Noticing my gaze Mathew quickly explained. “Sorry, but the only additional seat is for emergency relocation and transportation. Now, we don’t have time for this one of you will have to go there.”

Even while he spoke, he kept outfitting Sawsbuck with practiced ease. Sera and looked at each other before I went to lie on the cargo transport. Instead of facing toward the ground, I opted to lie on my back to be able to fasten them by myself as well as hopefully holding onto the handles if Mandibuzz left enough room for me.

As soon as we were both in position, Mandibuzz took flight effortlessly, even with the weight of two persons with her. The wind caused by her beating wings and the view was less than stellar, but beggars can't be chooser. I also tried to distract myself from the realization that the only thing between the ground and me was her grip on the handles. Granted her talons looked almost locked in place, but unsettling nonetheless.

We were minutes into our impromptu flight when I noticed that the horizon was unnaturally covered. I took the gamble to look to my right and almost regretted it instantly. Coming right toward us was a literal wall of sand and dust that seemed to have gained a mind of its own and decided to go for a stroll. Or a full-on sprint.

The sandstorm was still a good distance away, but it was gaining on us fast. All of a sudden I was hit by the realization that Mathew was on ground level and likely rushing for the so-called Mirage Village. I could only hope he would make it in time.

It took us barely a few more minutes before Mandibuzz started to lower her height. While she did her best to lower me as gently as possible, there was only so much she could do to control her anxiety. That translated to me being dropped off a couple of centimeters off the ground. Not enough to even hurt me but still a surprise. As soon as she landed herself she let out a hurried cry prompting Sera to disembark promptly.

As soon as the silver head jumped down, Mandibuzz took off once more in the direction we were coming from. She even let my premium seat on the ground but I couldn’t fault her since she was noticeably faster without it. I quickly unclasped myself and hurriedly stood up. Some of the people were watching us but soon returned to whatever they were doing.

The village seemed to have been built around the Oasis to take full advantage of the natural resources without encroaching on it. It was barren, with only a few houses and some inhabitant going about their days. To my surprise, there was also a Pokemon Center which was naturally where we headed first.

“Welcome to Mirage Village, how can I help you?” the Nurse on duty asked politely.

“Hi. There is a sandstorm coming this way.” I explain.

“Oh, yes we are aware of that but thank you for the heads up!” She smiled. “Will you be staying here?”

“You… know?” Sera asked.

“Why yes of course. Ah! You must be new trainers. Mirage Village is known for having a pack of Absol as its protector. Ah but don’t be alarmed. The rumors about Absol are completely false! They do not create disasters.” She added in urgency.

I couldn’t help but sigh in relief. “In that case, we’ll need to thank them twice. I am guessing we met one of them.”

Hearing that, her face brightened considerably. “You must have not been far then. That is quite fortunate. When the pack left yesterday, we already started to get ready for a big one so all the rooms were prepared. So, will you be staying here? I would advise you to but you are free to do as you please.”

“Yes sorry about that. Can we have three rooms? One of our companions is on his way.”

“hum… do you mind taking two rooms and sharing one of them, if this one is anything like the previous one we expect more travelers so I would like to avoid filling more rooms.” She said hesitantly.

Looking around, even the lobby area was noticeably smaller than others. Then again it would make sense that the Pokemon center in a little village out of the way would not be as big as the one in the main cities. In that case, taking up more room than is needed was kind of a dick move.

“No problem that works fine for us. I’ll go get the…thing” I said to Sera while gesturing because I had no idea how to call my premium seat.

Once I came back Sera gave me the key to a double room I would share with Mathew. I went to drop the seat there and we waited for him to come back. Just in time, when the wind started to pick up, he came in looking like nothing happened and this was a normal day.

“Well did you enjoy the flight?” he smiled.

“The view was to die for.” Both Sera and I answered but with very different emotions.

What followed was her rambling about how awesome it was to fly on a Pokemon, how she could not wait for Rufflet to evolve, and so on and so forth. I was also quick to point out that I would be flying on dragon back soon which earned me a nasty glare, much to the amusement of Mathew.

“Speaking of dragons”

I quickly released my team so they could at least relax around us. Also, it seemed that the sandstorms were more common than I thought because the Center even had indoor battlefields. We were asked to go easy or set up our own barriers but we were nowhere strong enough to need these precautions. Being stuck inside was no longer an issue then.

Once we entered the field, I noticed a visibly old Absol lounging about. Its fur was marred with visible scars where it was sparser while a clear gash ran down the length of one of its forelegs. She lifted her eyelids at our entrance but quickly decided that we were of no danger and went back to sleep. I could only assume that it was the leader of the pack the nurse mentioned.

It seemed that we were one of the first to reach the village which also meant that for now, the indoor area was empty. Which meant training in tranquility. I quickly offloaded Skoll to Mathew to have him explain Drain Punch since I had no idea where to start. I on the other hand focused on Nike and Tia.

The future dragon’s focus shifted to Rock Tomb because practicing moves like Bulldoze and Earth Power inside seemed like a bad idea. Also, Rock Tomb will be especially useful against Elesa’s Emolga.

With Nike instead, we shifted Trick Room lower in the priority given that she could use Teleport. Instead, we focused on her first Terrain move, Misty Terrain. The reason I opted for this one instead of Psychic Terrain is because Elesa was not known to use many priority moves but the Paralysis inflicted by her electric attack was a nightmare to deal with.

“All right Nike. I’ll need you to spread the fairy energy around the ground first, then we’ll go from there.”

She nodded seriously and closed her eyes, possibly, to focus. Slowly, a pink mist started to coalesce and spread with her as the center. It was just large enough for her to take one step before she lost control. At the same time, the mist dissipated instead of lingering on the ground like it was supposed to. But the fact that she managed to create the mist in the first place was a massive achievement.

“Good job! All we’ll have to do is train it and before you know it you will be able to cover the entire field.” I congratulated her the best I could, and we kept training.

At the end of the day, we didn’t see much progress but that did not discourage us in the slightest but the opposite. It was only a matter of time. Once we exited the training area, I was surprised to see the light in the lobby turned on. Checking the time on my phone it was barely 6 pm, meaning there should still be a bit before the sun fully set. Yet it was pitch black outside, the last ray of sun blocked by the swirling sands.

It was only when a person rushed through the door that I understood that the storm was raging outside. The doors did a good job of insulating the wind, but once they were open a terrible howl filled the hall and the dust at the entrance explained why everyone stayed away from it. It was a storm that looked apocalyptic; like an angry god decided to drown the desert in additional layers of sand.

“That is one hell of a storm. Might be the biggest in recent years.” Mathew said.

I could only nod because I was not familiar with the area. Regardless, we all decide that we did enough for today. I opted to take a shower before eating, and there was nothing better than a cold one after days of endless sand. After that, we all ate and went to bed with the storm still raging outside. Soon lighting and thunder joined the cacophony and I could only hope it would pass us by.

Before I even noticed when I fell asleep, I found myself standing in a forest, with trees stretching toward the sky. Yet everything was wrong. The ground was the wrong color. The leaves on the trees were the wrong colors. The moon was the wrong color. The air felt wrong. Everything was wrong.

Just as I was about to investigate my surroundings, everything went to hell. Darkness descended and made its way toward me. Animals, people, and Pokemon ran with reckless abandon opposite the creeping Darkness. Without waiting to understand more, I started to run, but my legs were weak. Every step felt like a herculean effort. The ground refused to let go of me. It was like running in a swamp or maybe quicksand.

I looked down only to see red snakes making their way up my legs, slithering and tying themselves together before making their way upward. I tried to free myself, to get rid of them. Chopping my legs off did nothing. Ripping the snakes off me only caused them to slither up my arm and around my neck. Then all of a sudden, they started to burn. I screamed yet nothing left my throat. It was a horrible sensation, the flesh sizzled and popped yet looking down nothing seemed amiss. I was still tied down by the red chains.

Before I could ask myself when the snakes turned into chains, the unnatural Darkness that was slowly creeping its way toward me finally reached me. In an instant, all I knew was Darkness.