Touketsu Namida
part IV - Destined Encounter
Narrated by Brock; Fanfic written by Sami, aka Suicune3K

Pre-Fic Notes: This is probably the part I wrote with the most enthusiasm; though I can’t write action scenes worth squat, somehow I find emotion to be the one I am easiest with in describing and feeling. Well, enjoy what else I’ve sloppily written!

. . .

   My mind raced, and yet it was wiped blank as I dashed headlong into the forest; following the cry that still echoed through my dizzying head.
   My breath was quickly becoming short, the aching of my tiring legs growing worse. I felt as if all the blood was being drained from my face and arms, though my heart was pounding against my ribs. No matter how fast I ran, I felt as if it was all in slow motion.
   The stinging pain in my legs built to a point where I couldn’t stand it any longer. I stopped in my tracks, trying to quickly catch my breath as I looked for any sign of Aisu. I forced myself on when the pain dulled slightly. Every breath now felt as if I was swallowing icy water; no air seemed to fill my lungs.

   It seemed no sooner than I took off again when I found myself standing in a clearing. My heart continued to beat even faster, a sensation of cold dread deep in my stomach. I was staring at a lone figure, sprawled out upon the grass. Swallowing hard, I stepped closer to see what it was, my entire body numbed.
   It was Aisu.
   Shakily approaching her further, I noticed a single stream of deep red blood seeping from her neck, soaking into the grass in a small puddle beside her. She was deeply unconscious, her breathing slow and shallow; hardly noticable.
   I reached to feel her pulse with almost a sense of reluctance; but I hadn’t even touched her when I found myself pinned on my back, and staring into the face of a snarling canine with blood and foam dripping from its fangs. Everything between was a blur.

   Once I got to my senses, I frenetically struggled in the grip of the huge claws that bore deep into my shoulders. The stench of blood was already strong, and even overshadowed the pain. For a fleeting moment while I was trying to figure out what to do, I noticed what appeared to be a sapphire aura encircling Aisu.
   Shaking any thought off, I grabbed a hold of the creature’s two front legs and pushed it off me onto its side with a strength only fueled by adrenaline. The Pokémon, however, instantly sprang back up and leapt in Aisu’s direction, licking the blood from its teeth. For a reason I could only explain as instinct, I somehow jumped between it and Aisu, and felt the fangs sink deep into my forearm. Completely unaware of the pain, I tore from the grip.
   I quickly backed off as it recovered as it now set its sights on me. I reached for my belt where my Pokéballs were, now a reflex of mine, as the creature bounded once more. All feeling left me at that moment. It had hit me like a brick wall, my face growing a tingling numb. They weren’t there. My last chance of defending myself, of saving my own life, had been stolen just the other day.
   Then came the literal feeling of a brick wall..


   The dog slammed me up against a tree that was directly behind me, with a force I’ve never even dreamed of. I wouldn’t have been surprised if I had bruised a couple ribs. As I flinched, the finger-long claws tearing into my already bleeding shoulders, something about the creature struck me in a sort-of awe. It may sound crazy that I hadn’t yet got a good look at that thing; but now I saw it for what it really was. A Growlithe.
   A large, snarling, probably rabid Growlithe that shimmered a silvery color. Its fur was a cold, almost bluish-silver, that ruffled in the wind like melted platinum. Something that should have been blatantly obvious to me from the start.
   Of course, more thoughts were coursing through my mind faster than the blood in my veins. Growlithes a-aren’t like this. They shouldn’t be like this... Naturally, at least...
This thought was the one I heard the clearest.
   Something definately wasn’t right. And that wasn’t even the end of it.


   All I remember was a blinding power that burst from somewhere close; everything had turned sapphire for that moment. There was a feeling of freezing from the inside-out that washed over me. It was standing before my very eyes, my mind trying to figure out if it was delerium, or even a dream. Eyes glowing silver, a deep power wrapping her in an emotionless rage.
   It was Aisu.
   Her poised stance and cold expression sent shivers through my already freezing body. The iced power poured from her body beyond her control, raging like the torrents of a river. I had an odd feeling that it wasn’t her at all; that it was as if that power took control of her body, her emotions and consciousness. The demon Growlithe had torn its claws from me at the smell of the icy power, and was fiercely growling and barking, its bloody and foam-dripped fangs bared.
   I was blinded by deep ocean-blue for a moment; Aisu’s power had quickly reached its full intensity for what seemed like minutes. But as the brightness dimmed, a shadow of something completely different came into view. Of something that sent a chill up my spine. Yet it seemed that I had seen this thing before. Then it hit me as the blurry form focused.
   I-It can’t be.. I struggled to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. N-No way..
   That encounter with Ash and Misty flashed through my head; that elegant blue creature engulfed in mist, the Northern Winds restlessly guiding it. That thing..was a Suicune. And so was she.

   The mystical creature’s eyes glowed, and it let out a deafening roar as it charged. The sky deeply darkened, dark enough to see the stars. The air around me was rapidly chilling, so that I could see my uneven breaths as pale fog. Rain began to heavily fall, but froze in the frosty air into crystal-like ice that battered the ground. Suicune directed the full-force of the storm at the Growlithe and I. Again I felt as if I was moving in slow motion, as I finally managed to hurl myself out of the way.
   The Growlithe, lashed and bleeding, finally gave in. It retreated back into the forest as Suicune’s storm calmed. The mist which surrounded it began to fade. In a blink of an eye, it was Aisu again, who floated a finger’s length above the ground in a trance. Then the power totally dissipated, and she collapsed.

   In the midst of my shock, confusion, and utter stupidity, I managed to just barely catch her before she hit the ground. I had never noticed how light she was, and just how fragile her body really seemed. Her panting was more noticable, and sweat dripped from her temples.
   “Hey?” I shook her in an attempt to rouse her. “Aisu? Wake up!”
   She stirred, groaning as if she was a child unwantingly waking to go to school.
“..H-Huh..?”
   “You’re all right, aren’t you?”
   Aisu struggled to sit up as she placed a hand to her temple. Her eyes were squeezed shut; it almost seemed as if she was in pain. I could see that she was literally drained of any energy. Even before, she had to use every last drop just to be able to have a normal level of strength; she was paler than snow. “Ungh...I-I’m fine, I think..”
   “You should go to a doctor!” This time I was really worried; I had never seen anyone like this who hadn’t lost a quarter of their blood. Or wasn’t dead.
   “W-What...did I do..?” her voice faintly quivered with her hands. Eyes still shut, she struggled to think. Her fingers twitched upon her temple as she tried to remember. Somehow I could sense these emotions; it reminded me of when she had froze in the sight of the Burned Tower. Does she really not remember?
   I swallowed, trying my best to quench my dry throat. “You..became..”
   Like a light switch, Aisu snapped still. Her eyes opened as she fell into a frozen shock. Those clouded brown eyes that were as unfeeling and deep as the ocean. They were Suicune’s eyes; the same as the creature born of wind and water that rose from obscurity and into a legend. A real legend.

   “You..saw me?”
   All I could do was nod; I was at a loss for words.
How is that possible...am I still dreaming?
   Her head lowered, her quivering hand still touching her forehead.
“I..don’t understand. This happened one other time, that I can remember. I just can’t remember what I really am...”
   “You can’t control it?” the more I learned, the more puzzled I grew.
   Aisu didn’t answer this. She now faced me, staring directly into my eyes; which was something she wanted to avoid. “Please, don’t tell them. Not now, at least. They think I’m a freak enough.”
   Through my buzzing head and nearly dizzy in utter confusion, I managed to force a smile. “Sure.”
   Her own smile grew warm and quite kind. “Thank you for saving my life.”
   “How do you know? You were out cold!”
   “If you didn’t, I wouldn’t be sitting here, would I?” she beamed.
   Suddenly I was again aware of the blood streaming from her neck.
   “Oh! Aisu, you’re still hurt!” I took the end of my shirt to wipe the blood away, but to my astonishment, there wasn’t much of an open wound at all. Only a small set of bite marks, which had hardly broken the skin. She raised her fingers to where the injury was when seeing the look on my face. “What..? Why isn’t it worse..?”
   As I pondered over what this could mean, I was suddenly aware of the stinging pain in my left forearm. I looked down at it and saw a horrible, large open gash that nearly drenched my whole forearm in blood. It hurt worse when I actually saw it. Not knowing what else to do, I tore off a piece of my shirt with my teeth, and hastily wrapped the wound. Neither the pain or bleeding ceased, and blood was still dripping to the ground as fast as my heart was beating. At least my shoulder wounds weren’t half as bad.

   “Oh jeez!” Misty’s shrill voice seemed to come out of nowhere. “What the heck did you guys get into this time!?”
   She and Ash came running to us, conveniently just barely missing the chaos. As I’d like to note: I, for one, actually decided to change out of my pajamas; Ash looked as if he barely had a chance to put on his pants. And, of course, all eyes went to my terribly-bandaged, bleeding forearm.
   “Gee, thanks! What good timing!” I couldn’t help but be sarcastic; they weren’t there to help us stop Team Rocket either, which really ticked me off.
   “Just be glad we came!” Ash spat back in a showing of temper that was unlike him.
   “Yeah!” said Misty, and then glared at Ash. “We would have gotten here faster if ‘speedy’ here got his pants on faster!”