The rain pelted down.
I was a drowned rat in seconds.
Slowly, I turned fearfully.
"Oh my
god." I
whispered.
A large scaly lizard creature
standing on its hind legs advanced slowly. It was a reptile with an extremely
angular head which jutted forward like a rocket. Its beady eyes glimmered with
hunger and seeing this, I damned well hoped it was an herbivore. It was its
claws however that immediately dashed that hope. They were sharp, razor edged
and obviously used for tearing flesh. It held its front claws loosely in front
of it, its strong hind legs also ending in vicious claws which dug into the
dirt. Its long tail swayed in the air behind it, to and fro. Step by menacing
step it moved towards me. Water ran off its pebbly skin, dripping to the
ground. A whimper escaped my throat and with that little sound the reptilian pokemon snapped its head forward, sensing my fear.
My heart fluttered. I was eighteen
and I think I was about to have a heart attack.
Large droplets of rain soaked into my
clothes. My hair, dripping, clung around my face.
The pokemon
seemed to smile evilly, bearing its knifelike teeth. In the rain, with
lightning streaking down in the air behind it, it looked like a monster from a
nightmare.
That was when I lost my self control.
I turned and bolted up the cliff path
screaming for dear life.
It was one of my biggest mistakes.
With a cry of wicked delight at the
prospect of a good hunt, the reptile tore after me.
"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!"
My legs pumped with all the speed I could muster. My clothes dripped, weighing
me down and sticking to my skin. The pokemon pursued
me gleefully, hot on my heels. I could feel its stale breath, could almost feel
its dripping saliva on the back of my neck.
"SHREEEEEEEEE!" It screamed,
each bound getting closer and closer.
It was obvious who was
the faster runner.
It gained on me with its large legs.
Every step shook the ground from its weight, rocks spilled down from the cliff
face. The path angled sharply to the left, I spun the corner, sliding on the
loose dirt. I was tiring rapidly, turning my head I saw the pokemon
slip on the corner and crash to the ground with a mighty thump which made the
ground quake.
"SHREEEEEEEEE!" Its claws grabbed for the trail,
digging into the earth before it slipped over the edge and plummeted into the
abyss.
I kept running. This would gain me
only a few seconds head start, but with a quick glance back at the animal pull
itself up, I knew it'd be back on its feet and after me within moments.
My backpack weighed me down, the wind
pushed me back, the path steeped upwards and I could hear the pokemon up on his feet and running once more.
The rain fell incessantly.
"I can't believe this is
happening." I cried incredulously.
A rock caught my foot and I flew head
over heels to the ground. My face kissed the dirt and I tasted a mouthful
earth. Spluttering, I pushed myself up, wiping mud from my face. Through the
thick sheet of rain I could see the reptillian pokemon lumbering up the rugged pathway. I clambered
clumsily up the cliff trail. There was another bend up ahead, and a sudden plan
sprang to mind. It wasn't a good one and had a one in ten chance of working,
but it was the only one I had. It was simple, run as hard and as fast as I
could and the pokemon would hopefully gather speed to
chase me. I grab the corner, turn it sharply and watch the creature skid on the
dirt, slip, and fall to its doom.
I took in a deep gulp of air. Chest burning.
The rain fell.
"SHREEEEEEEEEE!"
I sprinted.
I swear I must've broken a world
record or something. I had never run so fast in my life. Adrenalin rushed
through my veins. I ran. Faster and faster. Shooting up the path like a bullet. Sure enough the reptile
quickened its pace to catch me.
Wind screamed through my hair. I had
to squint to keep out the water running down my forehead.
There!
The corner!
I grabbed it, sped around it so
quickly I almost lost my grip sent myself flying over the edge.
"SHREEEEEEEEEE!"
It came, huge and vicious.
My chest burning, my breathing short
gasps. I was utterly exhausted. If this plan didn't work, I had no idea what I
would do.
"SHREEEEEEEEEE!" It's claws dug into the dirt, this time
prepared for the sudden turn.
"Oh fuck!" I swore. The
creature had learned from its previous mistake!
It gripped the ground, churning up
dirt as it spun easily around the bend and headed in my direction. Its razor
rimmed jaws snapping at the air.
My heart seemed to burst, all hope
shattered. I didn't have the energy to run anymore. I stumbled wearily up the path, the pokemon came in for the
kill. Bearing its jagged teeth hungrily.
THUMP THUMP
THUMP
"Oh, you've gotta
be kidding me!!"
I screamed.
Leaping down the cliff face and onto
the mountain trail from the path above me was another reptillian pokemon.
It looked the same as the other,
except for the flourish of scarlet on its breast and it was much, much bigger
than the one behind me.
"What the hell is this?" I
cried in anguish. "
The larger one lifted its head and
opened it large jaws.
"SHREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" Its roar made the mountains shake.
"Oh yeah? Well, well fuck you too!" I
cried.
The reptile behind me growled,
several feet away from me.
The one before me stepped closer.
I was sandwiched between two very
dangerous, very hungry looking animals.
My breathing quickened with fear.
Rain fell.
The larger one growled, the other bared its teeth.
I swore.
I had three options. A) I could try to
climb up the cliff face, and see how far I could go after the bigger one ripped
my leg off. B) Take my chances over the edge of the cliff. Hey, I could get
lucky. I might only break a couple of bones. Or C) Meet my fate and serve as
afternoon tea to a pair of sharp toothed diners.
I weighed my options.
"SHREEEEEEEEE!"
Fuck!
I turned to the cliff face and
clambered up the wall. My fingers desperately tried to find footholds to push
myself up further. My feet slipped, rocks tumbled down, I lost my grip,
desperately looked for another. I found a small jut, pulling myself upwards.
It crumbled beneath my fingers.
“Aagh!” I tumbled down, losing my balance, landing heavily between
the two hungry creatures.
They ignored me however, eyeing each
other with contempt. Suddenly, the large one lashed out with a claw, intending
to slice the other’s throat. I rolled as it lunged forward, its foot thundering
into the place where I had once lay. Pushing myself quickly to my feet I
realized my chance for escape. They were huge creatures and if I could roll
under their legs I’d be home free.
WHAACK!
The writhing tail of the smaller
creature shunted into me body. I stumbled backwards, my foot stepping over the
edge.
“Whaaa!” I windmilled my arms in a frantic attempt to regain my
balance.
The two creatures before me tore at
each other, their struggle pounding against the cliff face. The earth trembled
beneath their battle. The rocks beneath my feet gave way and I plummeted into
the canyon.
“How long have we been walking?” I
whined over the storm. Soaked to the bone, I had given my jacket to Lethe, her own had vanished, assumedly lost in the fall. I
shivered, rubbing my arms. My hair matted against my face and I’d ripped off my
plaster, having become soggy from the rain.
Tempest marched ahead of us, head
tucked into the storm. “Shut your bloody hole and concentrate on looking for
shelter!”
“There!” Lethe pointed at wall of
rocks and boulders blocking the path before us.
There was a slight overhang and the
ground beneath it seemed dry.
I took Lethe’s hand and ran after
Tempest who’d spied it first and had darted towards its refuge.
I felt Lethe slow behind me and I
urged her on. She was tired and more injured than the rest of us, she had
cracked her head and blood had seeped from the wound. Her short purple her
coiled wetly around her face.
“There! Salvation
at last!” Tempest collapsed against the wall in relief. The small girl
was dirty, bruises marked her body and she cracked her fingers nervously. Her
cap was gone and her blue hair was tangled in knots and dirt. Her shoulders
sagged wearily.
Lethe cast me a grateful smile as I
helped her down beside the bird trainer. Shivering, I shoved my hands in my
pockets and leaned against the wall with a sigh. I closed my eyes, listening to
the rain. “How long before it stops you reckon.”
“Give it a couple of hours.”
Tempest’s voice sounded drawn.
We’d awoken after the fall on a
pathway of what seemed to be one of many red mountains.
“I wonder what’s behind this wall.” Tempest
thought aloud. “Do you think its man made?”
I opened my eyes, shrugging. “We
could climb over it I guess. But can’t that wait till the rain stops?”
Seemingly on cue, the falling rain
began to diminish, the storm dispersing. The sound of dripping and was all that
remained of the once thundering squall.
Tempest grinned impishly, “Your
bloody wish has been granted. Let’s go, I want to find my pokemon
before something bad happens to them.”
I stopped myself before blurting out,
what if something’s already happened to them. I didn’t want to think about it.
I’m sure Tempest didn’t either. We were sore, tired, and lost. Right now, hope
was all we had to cling on to.
The bird trainer stepped out onto the
soggy path, hand on her hips as she surveyed the rising
wall leaning against the clouded night. “You know, if climb up around there, we
might be able to get through.” She pointed to where the cliff face met the
rocky barricade.
I nudged the base with my foot. Tiny
rocks spilled to the ground. “I donno…”
Without another word, Tempest grabbed
hold of a few jutting red stones and began scrambling up the blockade. Lethe
joined me from I stood looking up. She leaned against my arm, sighing tiredly
as she closed her eyes. I glanced at her, startled, before hesitantly placing a
protective arm around her shoulders.
“See? It’s not too hard! You just
have to find the right rocks to hold, hey there’s like a valley over on the
other side… I think, wait, just let me get a bit
higher. Ouch, stupid rock, ugh, here we go, holy bloody shit, that is one huge va – aaagh!!”
With a cry, Tempest lost her footing, pebbles skittered down, as she fell,
sliding clumsily in a shower of dust and landing with a thump in a heap
before us.
I chuckled, “I see, piece of cake
then.”
She swore, leaping back to her. Her
second attempt over the wall was more successful; she reached the top, crying
triumphantly before losing her balance and plummeted over the other side. There
was another thump, more curse words, muttering, and then a gasp.
“What?” I called curiously.
“It’s bloody beautiful!”
“What is?”
“Get you bloody arse over here and
see!”
Sighing, it took Lethe and I several
tries before we slid down the other side of the rocky barrier, muddy and sore.
I took a sharp intake of breath as we stumbled to where Tempest stood, staring
at the wonder before our eyes.
I fell.
My hair whipped about over my head,
the wind rushed passed my ears.
“Aaaaaaaaahh!!!”
This was it I was going to die.
“Aaaaaaaaahh!!!”
My dreams of becoming a mafia
“Aaaaaaaaahh!!!”
I hadn’t even had the chance to say
goodbye to my folks! They’d live on never knowing what had happened to their
only daughter.
“Aaaaaaaaahh – huh?”
I frowned, confused. I’d been falling
a very long time. Yawning, I crossed my arms, waiting for my life to flash
before my eyes.
Nothing.
Doh!
Darkness surrounded me. The dark
rolling clouds of the night sky above could barely be discerned at the mouth of
the canyon. I snatched the croconaw tooth pressed
beneath my nose. The force of the wind had torn it clear from where it lay
hidden beneath my shirt as gravity had rocketed me to
my doom.
“Not so lucky are we?” I accused the
offending item. Cheap piece of junk! What had I’d done to piss off Lady Luck
this time? I’d always –
SPLASH!!!!!!!!!
I was engulfed in a huge torrent of
freezing water. My breath exploded from my lungs as I plunged beneath the
surface. I choked, swallowing water. My arms flailed about. The darkness was
total. Panic began to rise. Water? Where had the water
come from? My legs kicked frantically, propelling me desperately upwards. My
chest burned. Spots appeared before my eyes, the only colour in an utterly
black world.
“Heerrhh!!” My head broke free from the surface. I desperately gasped
air, sweet, merciful oxygen! My arms thrashed wildly, I felt myself being
pulled roughly by the speeding current. Where to? I had no idea. A freezing jet
of water blasted over me and I was hauled under once again.
CRASH!
My body collided with something hard
beneath the surface of the rushing river. Pain exploded up my back. I opened my
mouth to cry out and water gushed down my throat. I pushed upwards; spluttering
as I my head once again broke though. Another wave enveloped me, shaking my
head frantically I blinked the water from my eyes. The dark river threw me this
way and that. Several times pain erupted throughout my body as I was heaved
roughly against outcrops of rock. The worse part was not knowing what was about
to happen next, not being able to see anything at all. Each time I gulped air,
a wave would topple over me or I would be pulled under, struggling desperately
to kick to the surface. There was no time to scream.
Jiang
I was in a wide valley of some sort.
That much was clear. But how to get out and explore? I
scrutinized the nest wall; it was made up of Twigs and old leaves roughly
interwoven together. I poked at it with a finger. It didn’t budge. I kicked it.
My foot only bounced back.
Hmmm.
The rain had stopped, I was grateful
for that, but the wind hadn’t and I shivered against the biting breeze. I was
going to catch a cold for sure.
Reaching out, I stuck my hand through
the meshed leaves and sticks, grabbing a good sized amount in my fist, I
pulled. It took me several minutes till I had developed a hole large enough to
squeeze through. The rain had made the materials of the nest malleable and easy
to handle. Poking my head out I gasped in wonder. The
valley was lush and even in the darkness; I could see how green it was. It
rolled for miles. Trees and plants towered into the sky and a huge lake lay in
the centre, its waves lapped the shore quietly. A flicker of movement caught my
eye and I realized that what I had believed to be boulder sitting in the midst
of the valley, was actually the giant sleeping form of
a pokemon.
“Cooooooool!!!” Eyes bulging, I breathed in awe.
With renewed fervour, I struggled
through the hole, ignoring the numerous scratches I received.
Finally, I tumbled out face first. I
landed with an oomph before leaping to my feet
in excitement. Quickly dusting myself off, I scurried towards the sleeping
form. It rose, huge and dark, many metres into the sky, not unlike the boulder
I had originally mistaken it as. The pokemon lay with
its head nestled against the side of its body, its neck long and thick. Its
legs were tucked beneath it, and its spiked tail trailed far behind, rippled
with muscle. Mouth gaping wide I crept slowly forward. My wet sneakers made
slushing sounds with each step. The stars sparkled overhead and the wind had
died down to a slight breeze. My bandana had come undone and it fluttered loose
around my neck. I inched closer. A metre away I stopped to stare again. I had
never seen a creature like it!
I stretched out an arm and my fingers
stroked it softy, feeling the thick leathery hide beneath my skin.
“Coooooool!!!”
I bent over, trying to get a better
look at the creature’s head. Like a reptile, it had no ears and its long snout
was oblong in shape. My hand reached out again.
An eyelid flickered open, revealing a
slitted eyelid which stared back at me with undisguised suspicion.
“Coooooool!!!”
Tempest
The valley was beautiful. It
stretched on for miles, distant cliffs and mountains rising
in the horizon the only suggestions as to where it ended.
“
I bounded forward, my eyes scanning
the luscious vision before me for any sign of my pokeballs.
Nothing. Nada. Zippo. Well, not in this darkness anyway. Maybe they had zapped
loose and were flying free somewhere? I cupped my hands to my mouth. “
My voice echoed across the valley,
mutating as it drifted through the air.
Lethe tilted her head,
a perplexed frown etched her face, “Why is that boulder moving?”
I stared.
“Crikey!” That wasn’t a boulder! That
was a huge mother of a –
“Aaaaaahh!! Help!”
I swore, spotting the small figure
darting across the valley floor, the huge ‘boulder’ creature lumbering after
him.
“Jiang!”
Tempest, get your bloody arse into
gear. He’s a kid for chrissake! Don’t make me make
you! Coo-ee’s voice nagged inside my head.
“Bloody hell.” I muttered. “Since when did you
become my conscious?”
Squaring my shoulders, I inhaled
deeply. “Ok, fine.
I sprinted across the wet grass,
“What’s the plan?”
“What plan?” I answered.
“Tempest!” He whined, “That’s not funny!”
“Just make a lot of noise. Attract
the bugger’s attention.”
Jiang’s eyes widened as he spotted me, he
sped up. “Tempy!”
I slowed to a stop and began waving
my arms frantically, “Hey you! Yeah you, you ugly brute! Over here! That’s
right, over in this direction!” I spotted a rock, bent over, scooped it up and
taking a few steps, pitched it as hard as I could with my left arm. The Rock
sailed through the air and landed with a plop on the hungry creature’s
nose. The creature paused mid snap, eyes wide with
puzzlement.
“Yeah! And there’s bloody more where that
came from!” I lied.
It swung its head round to face me,
bearing its incisor filled teeth.
I gulped.
Attention distracted from Jiang, lumbered across, fixed on a new quarry.
Spinning on my heel, I ran.
“Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!” I whizzed passed
I could hear the pokemon
thunder after me, its legs shaking the ground with each step. I sprinted
towards the lake; its crystalline surface glittered eerily beneath the night.
“That bloody animal better not be
able to swim.” I muttered, reaching the water’s edge, I plunged into its icy
depths, crying out from shock as the unexpected iciness of the waves engulfed
me. Breaking to the surface, I made fast strokes towards the centre of the
lagoon.
“Hooooaaaarr!”
Turning briefly, I saw the pokemon pawing at the edge of the lake. A grin split my
face and I halted my swimming, treading water. “Hah! Try and get me now you
overgrown kangaroo!”
I had spoken too soon. I heard the
giant noise of wings beating powerfully through the air.
“Aeeerrr!”
My head snapped up. What the fuck! It was an aerodactyl!
“You’re supposed to be bloody extinct!” I screeched incredulously. Out of the frying pan and into the fire! The grey leathered creature swooped through the air menacingly. Bloody fucking hell… “What the hell is this? Some B-grade action movie?!”
The creature spotted me, I swear I heard its stomach rumble. With a cry, it folded its massive wings and dived; claws extended.
Waves continued to engulf me and I continued to struggle for the surface, towards life saving oxygen. My limbs were beginning to tire; I doubted I could go on any longer. Strength seeped from my body every time I was forced under. I spluttered as another torrent crashed over me. Suddenly my head smashed into something hard. I cried out, my vision spinning. Again it hit something and again I cried out, pain slicing through my head. My hands flailed upwards and struck something hard, rough. It was an overhang of rock. As the current jerked me along, my hand trailed across its uneven surface… I had been pulled into an underground reservoir, water cave, tunnel even. The current began to quicken. I could feel myself being yanked faster and faster, about and around. Without warning, I was sucked powerfully beneath the turbulent waves. I swallowed water, limbs thrashing. I felt myself being dragged by the undercurrent, destination unknown. Quicker and quicker. I was helpless, completely and utterly helpless. This was it. This was the end. My lungs burned, screaming for oxygen. A light-headedness began to develop. I shut my eyes.
Tempest
The hungry pokemon rocketed towards me. I shook my head angrily; there was no way I was going to be eaten by a pokemon!
“No way! You hear me?” I cried defiantly. If this was fate’s idea of a joke – I was not laughing. Anger began to surge, my vision clouded with the familiar gold haze and my plastered hand, now completely soggy, shot towards the sky which now crackled and rolled with life. The water around me began to rise and bubble, the waves become tumultuous. Energy surged through my limbs and I pointed an accusing finger.
BLAAAASSSTTT!!!!
Before I could do or say anything, a huge torrent of water shot into the sky!
The phenomenon struck the aerodactyl squarely in the chest. The creature screeched in surprise and pain as it was knocked from the sky, wings flapping madly. My mouth gaped as I stared. The sky quietened and the gold left my sight as my anger vanished, replaced with shock. The huge gush was not unlike the water emitting from the blow hole of a whale. Huge droplets of water rained on me from above. Millions of ripples covered the lake’s surface and the crashing waves tossed me this way and that. I struggled to keep myself afloat.
As abruptly as it had appeared, the giant spout of water stopped, the last torrents shooting weakly into the air before it fell to the lake with a splash. My eyes narrowed as I stared into the sky where the eruption had been, was that a…?
The torrent which had blasted me into the sky as it had erupted from its underground current beneath the lake disappeared beneath me. My arms flapped frantically and it seemed for one split second that I floated in the air, then whoosh I was falling again.
I seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
Screaming, hair whipping, clothes soggy, lungs half filled with water – I was not a happy camper.
Glimpsing down I fearfully concluded that the lake was a long, long, long way away. I doubted I would survive from the impact, even if I did crash through water.
Fuck.
A flash of grey caught my attention and I swivelled my head. Was that an aerodactyl???? My jaw dropped from the sight of the creature, realizing that had been the object the erupted surge of water had hit. The animal flapped in a state of confusion, shaking water from its eyes. An idea flashed through my head and I nimbly reached behind me. My hands delved into my drenched backpack. I was surprised that throughout the whole ordeal the thing had still remained on my back. Feeling the sought after item beneath my fingers, I wrenched it from beneath a dozen water logged cell phones, jewellery and god knows what else.
The glinting steel of old gappa felt cold in my hands. Gripping the grappling hook in one hand, its length of rope in the other, hope surged through my veins.
If anything could get me out of this…
I swung the hook quickly round and round, building up speed with every rotation. Time was against me. I could see the pokemon grow further and further away. With a quick prayer to Lady Luck and a grunt of effort, I launched the hook from my hand. It soared through the air towards my target…
“Come on!” I shouted desperately.
… on and on it flew, cutting through the night air. I hadn’t realized that the distance was so far…
“Please!”
… it looped three times around the aerodactyl’s neck.
“Ooh yeah!” I whooped, wrapping the remainder length of rope around my waist none too soon. The backlash was sudden and cut deeply and painfully into my body. The rope was pulled taut, stretching to its maximum level. I gasped as the air was abruptly squeezed from my lungs. Pain shot through my chest and I screamed, feeling ribs crack. Then, like a bungee chord relaxing against the force of the sudden weight, the rope slackened and I found myself bouncing upwards. Above me, the pokemon screeched frantically, confused by the unexpected addition of weight. As the rope drew tight again, and I dangled exhausted, I noticed the ground rushing towards us. The added heaviness and erratic movement on my part had forced the aerodactyl closer and closer to the ground. Its wings flapped frantically, unable to keep its balance as I bounced back and forth, this way and that.
CRASH!
I hit the ground feet first. My legs buckled beneath the weight and I collapsed tumbling and rolling before coming to a halt my back.
“Oooph!”
I could have kissed the firm, solid ground beneath me. I didn’t care if I had to give up bathing for the rest of my life; I never wanted to see water ever again.
“Pokeball go!” A familiar voice cried.
There was a zap and red light shot across the air. The rope, which had been tied around the aerodactyl’s head, relaxed and fell to the ground with quiet thumps.
I sighed, energy completely drained, spread eagled amongst the moist grass. The clouds had dispersed revealing the twinkling stars, dotted across the swarthiness of the night.
A voice appeared above me, blocking my few.
Blonde hair fell forward. Blue eyes bright. A wide toothy grin.
“Welcome back, beautiful.”