Chapter 16: Chapter 15

We went to the bridge after the sunset. The ranger was shoeing away the last few challengers and setting up a barrier with the help of the lifeguards.

“Well, what’s the plan?” I asked Darren. “Are we breaking through?”

“Not at all,” he said. “We’re going that way.”

He pointed further on, beyond the road and nearing the edge of the Greenwood. I had Mareep use Flash as we ventured off road into uneven terrain and through thickening foliage. Fortunately we didn’t have to walk far until Darren found a place he was satisfied with. The shape of the shore made the area formed a pool shielded it from the stronger currents and rougher waters of the outer sea. The trees around us also created a barrier for the wind giving the spot a most tranquil atmosphere.

“Let’s try here,” whispered Darren. He told me to tell Mareep to dim her Flash, and started pulling out a variety of nets and baits from his backpack.

“What are we looking for?” I asked. “Is the Demon really in around here?”

“Possibly. From what I saw today, I think it’s a fair guess to think that it stays this side of the bridge, and I did some research, and it seems like it would like this kind of place.”

I looked at the water doubtfully. It was too calm for it to hold the monstrosity I saw earlier in the day.

“What kind of Pokémon is it anyway?”

“Ssh, you’ll see,” he said. Having taken out everything he needed, he took a seat on a rock overhanging the pool. He started by throwing out scraps of shredded lettuce, keeping his eyes peeled for the Demon.

Darren had far more patience than Sunny and I. He stayed still for what must have been hours, only moving to periodically throw some form of bait into the water. A variety of Pokémon showed up for the free food, mainly Goldeen and Poliwags, though I saw a single Tympole in the mix. Sunny began practicing her harmonica and Darren got annoyed with us for making so much noise. We gave him some space so we didn’t have to wait in fear of disturbing the low mumblings of nature.

“Do you know what it is?” I asked Sunny.

She took a breath from the harmonica – which she was getting good at by now, I had complicated feelings about that – and said that Darren had kept the whole thing very private.

“He gets like that sometimes. Finds a singular focus and everything else falls away from him. It can be annoying, but if you leave him at it, he’ll either accomplish what he wants, or lose interest in it pretty quickly.”

She went back to practicing bending. Out of my sibling, only Richard kept up with playing music, despite Mum’s best attempts at teaching us. It hurt in weird ways whenever I saw them playing together. The reedy sound I heard every evening when Sunny played reminded me of my family. It was the longest I’d ever spent without seeing them. Mum and Lily rang me every other evening, but it wasn’t quite the same.

“What about you, Comfey? Aren’t you a very community focused species? What were you doing alone outside Crescent Town? I don’t think I saw any others on our way here.”

Comfey flicked her vines in a way reminiscent of a shrug and went back to trying to get Mareep to play with her.

“Do you miss your herd, big girl?”

Mareep tilted her head before giving it a very definite shake.

“I guess it’s just me then.”

She moved closer and nudged me with her head.

“Yes, yes. I’m glad I have you too.”

I admit I dozed off a little, half buried in Mareep’s wool. It was comfy and warm there, and with my two Pokémon around me, it was easy to feel safe.

Sunny woke me some time later. We went back to where Darren was still unmoving and I fell half-asleep. Next time I awoke, it was because he was finally moving. With a pinch of kibble in his palm, he was feeding some creature under the water’s surface. He was whispering softly to it. I crept closer, careful to not make any noise and stopped next to Sunny.

The Pokémon he was talking to was no more than twenty centimetres long. In the darkness, only a bright sparkling in its eyes were clearly visible.

“There, there, little guy,” Darren was saying. “The storm sure dragged a lot of Pokémon away from their homes, didn’t it? Is that what happened to you? It’s scary out here, especially with those strange noises coming from that big stone thing.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

With slow motions, he reached for an empty pokeball on his belt and expanded it. The Pokémon skittered at the sound but returned when he offered more food.

“If you come with me, I can take you away from the scary noises. I’ll ask you to fight some battles, but I promise to keep you safe. What do you think?”

He held the pokeball above the Pokémon and with a swift action, brought it down on it. After a brief flash and a few tense moments, the pokeball sealed shut.

“That’s it?” said Sunny. “Is that what you wanted to catch?”

Darren stood, groaning as a cramp in his leg almost made him topple. He stretched, shivered, and sneezed.

“Ho-oh, it’s cold. Yes, that’s it. I was worried I’d have to camp out multiple nights, but seems like I got lucky on the first.”

“I don’t get it though, how was that the Demon? It’s, like, small,” I said.

“Here, I’ll show you.”

Darren released the Pokémon back into the water and we approached. I was finally able to make out what it was and felt silly for not thinking of it sooner.

“A Wishiwashi,” I said. “That’s what’s been causing all the trouble? There’s a school of them out here?”

“Not quite,” said Darren. “At least, I don’t think so. A school of them would have moved on to the ocean by now. If it’s staying in shallower waters, it’s more likely to be alone. Also the reason why it gets scared so much easier and reacts violently to the noise from the bridge.”

“How does that work?” asked Sunny. “What we saw was definitely its school form.”

“You’re right. Usually, they can only school when they are in large numbers, but that’s not always the case. Back when I was a child, my parents would bring me to all these scientific gatherings they would go to. They were boring, for the most part, but every now and then, some researcher would take me, and whatever other children that might have been there, and tell us what we took to be, at the time, anyway, the greatest secrets scientists hid from the uneducated, outside world. Of course, it was typically some trivia, or unconfirmed speculations, but it was interesting nonetheless. One time, this old guy with a big beard and a monocle told us a series of folk tales he had gathered from all over the world. These included everything from old legends to things someone’s cousin saw the other night when he was drunk. One of these, was a man who swore he saw a Wishiwashi in its school form while he was out fishing. He cut the engine of his boat, staying as still as possible, hoping for the Demon of the Sea to pass him by. Then he saw the Pokémon unschool, but to his surprise, instead of a whole group of Wishiwashi, it was just one, and the rest dissolved into nothingness. Nobody took him seriously in his village, but the scientist guy had a wild theory that, through a combination of Double Team, expert water manipulation, and its ability, a single Wishiwashi could, in fact school by itself. His efforts at replicating that had been unsuccessful, though, which means that you,” he turned to his new companion, “are a very special little Pokémon.”

“Well, as long as you’re right, and you didn’t just catch a random Pokémon that has nothing to do with the situation,” said Sunny. “Can we go back to sleep now?

The face Darren made at the realisation that he could be wrong was one I’d keep with me for many years to come, but at the time, I was sleepy and in full agreement with Sunny’s suggestion.

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Morning saw us rise late, and I suspected the only reason we woke before noon was because of the hustle and bustle around our tent. Not only our tent, of course, but rather, all town. Word had spread that the Demon wasn’t appearing anymore, and everybody was either trying to figure out where it had gone or in a rush to get right out of Crescent and head on to Rondo.

“That’s a good sign,” said Darren, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“I know that face,” said Sunny. “That’s the I-haven't-slept-all-night-because-I-was-worrying-about-something-stupid face. Don’t tell me what I said last night really got to you.”

“I won’t tell you.”

“You three, you’re finally up,” said a sour-looking kid with his terrifying Espurr on his shoulder.

“What do you want, Joey?” I said. “We don’t have time for people with bad taste in art.”

He narrowed his eyes at me, then proceeded to ignore my existence and directed himself solely at Darren and Sunny.

“What did you do? Espurr felt you sneaking away last night.”

“We just went out for a walk,” said Darren. “It was a nice night.”

“And come back seven hours later? Maybe if you hadn’t brought the little girl along I’d believe you were out drinking or something. What did you really do?”

“It’s not really any of your business, is it,” I said.

“Okay, I don’t know what happened between you two, but you’re scaring Coral with all the tension. It’s okay, sweetie, they’re just bickering.” She petted Coraline, who was cuddled up in her embrace. A disgruntled Hector hopped by her feet, looking jealously at his teammate.

“If she get frightened by this, she’s obviously too weak to matter,” said Joey, looking like he bit into a lemon. I swore I saw a tiny sneer on Espurr’s face before it melded back into the wall of blankness it usually was. Hector’s expression, meanwhile, turned into one of barely restrained anger, and only Sunny crouching to put a palm on his head stopped him from attacking. Both Auri, who a moment ago looked as sleepy as Darren, and now looked thirsty for blood, and myself were ready to do what Hector didn’t. Before either of us could move, Caviar swooped down and stole Joey’s cap.

I fell to the ground with an embarrassing screech, both Sunny and Darren sniggered (not at me, though I still felt self-conscious about it), and Joey screamed for the hat thief to give it back. Caviar taunted him with it for several seconds, making circles above him. I felt a headache come on, and my ears popped from a sudden pressure. Caviar froze midair. He was dragged in front of Joey, who snatched back what was his, and told his Espurr enough. The pressure faded.

“Kid, it pays to be polite,” said Darren. “Especially if you want something from the people you’re addressing.”

“Whatever. Ow, what was that for?” Joey clutched his head, wincing, and Sunny and Darren exchanged worried looks.

“No, I won’t, ow, fine, fine.”

With a tone that made it clear that the words were forced out of him, he said:

“I can travel with you three, at least to Rondo. Everyone’s going the same way, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”