TEEN: 108 Reunions (a shiny-based writing challenge)

[Greninjaman]

How far ahead are you in terms of getting the shinies and writing the chapters?

 

[KatrinaSForest]

At this point, two ahead. I'm deviating a bit for the next one, because it should technically be Remoraid, but there's a short piece I did from Ingo's POV that I really want to incorporate, and he probably won't be showing up as often once Indigo sets off. So I'm working it around a shiny Chansey*, and then Remoraid will come after that. (Both stories are written and the audio recorded, but I have to set video to them.)

I usually try to end off my work week with shiny hunting for whoever's next and brainstorming/writing ideas down if I get lucky and find one earlier than expected.

*I know I'm bending my own rules there. I blame inconveniently-timed inspiration. The Chansey was a random find and the last shiny I caught before the challenge started, so I feel like it's at least in the spirit of things. ^_^;;

 

[KatrinaSForest]

~~Chapter 9: Chansey~~

Audio Version is available here. (With the audio author's note that I did catch Chansey and write Ingo's letter ahead of time.)

#

"Aw...aren't they all just little cuties?" a voice squealed into Indigo's head as he headed towards the Cobalt Coastlands. His plan was to speak with the noble Basculegion in the most ideal conditions possible--nighttime by the actual ocean.

Then he ran into a mob of Chansey and Happiny en route, and all bets were off. One of the spirits in his head would not stop fawning over the little Pokémon. Indigo never realized that one could telepathically fawn so loudly.

"Oh, I love Happiny!" she sighed. "I had one with me all the time before we got trapped in this stupid keystone. You absolutely have to catch one of these for me! And catch a good one!"

"Okay, okay," he told her, pulling a Poké Ball out. "Just...shift the colors on one of them so I can see which you want."

She did so. Not in any practical sort of way, as she zeroed in on the one Happiny that was a naturally different color and altered Indigo's vision until it looked the same as they others. Thankfully, Indigo was quick enough that he caught a sparkle of green just before it shifted to pink. He threw the ball, and the catch held.

So now he had a Happiny in his party. A tiny, helpless baby when he planned to ride a giant ghost fish across choppy waves in the dead of night. He glanced over his shoulder at the path he'd taken here, then at the long road ahead, and dropped his head with a sigh.

#

Ingo and Cyllene were sitting beside each other at the dining table when their grandson walked in. The poor boy looked like a Gengar had drained his energy and then tripped him on his way home for good measure.

"Thought you were headed for the coastlands," Cyllene said.

"I was," Indigo replied. He was a bit short of breath though not as fatigued as his posture suggested. "But I picked up this little one on the way, and I don't have time to stop by a camp and drop her off before sundown. Can you and Grandpa hold onto her for me?"

Cyllene huffed. It was her standard reply to most questions, and those who knew her well could read her tone and expression without need for words. She was glad to help her grandson whenever he needed and took the Poké Ball before sending him on his way.

Even so, she wished he had come at another time. It was hard enough getting Ingo to focus without over-energetic teenagers about.

"We should take the Pokémon out and have a look at it, don't you think?" Ingo said once the door closed.

Cyllene rolled her eyes and pointed to the table in front of him, where a few sheets of paper sat untouched beside a freshly-inked pen. "You're stalling again."

"Guilty," Ingo replied as he took the ball from her loose grip. When he let the Pokémon out, it emerged in a swirl of smoke. Ingo and Cyllene both coughed as they fanned gray plumes out the window. When the air cleared, a green-tinted Chansey held out its tiny arms. "Chansey!" the Pokémon cried with delight.

"This is the 'little one' he caught?" Cyllene asked, now regretting her affirmative huff from before. The creature stood at least a foot higher than the table.

Ingo cleared his throat. "Must have picked up an Oval stone before Indigo captured it. Looks like it just evolved."

Chansey nodded happily and waddled up to Ingo's chair. Without hesitation, she lifted the egg from her pouch and placed it alongside him.

"Hmm?" He cocked his head. "That's kind of you, but I'm not injured."

The Chansey did not seem to care and pushed the egg closer until it rolled to rest against Ingo's palm.

Cyllene placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "It's said that Chansey's eggs deliver peace and happiness to those it shares them with."Perhaps she's trying to heal something less physical."

Ingo nodded. Whether he agreed or not, his procrastination was over. He cradled the egg with his left hand and picked up the pen in his right. "I may open this letter with how much you're pestering me to start it," he warned her.

Her face remained impassive. If that was what he needed, he had her blessing.

With that, Ingo set the pen tip to the paper and began to scratch out a greeting. His words flowed easily enough. After all, he'd had them in his mind for a long time:

#

Dear "Winner,"

I feel foolish for writing this, but Cyllene insists I should. I have had many, many happy memories over my lifetime--which at a ripe age of ninety-four, I can only assume is coming to an end sooner rather than later.

I do not have the space, nor frankly the stamina, to write them all down. But I did want to document what I can recall of my life before Hisui. I know I spent a lot of time around someone else, and it is to that person I wish to address my letter. I regret the only things I can recall about you is that we look very much alike--I infer we are related somehow--and that you like "winning more than anything else." So I've come to refer to you in my mind as "Winner."

If you exist somewhere in my world, I imagine you are either as old as I or you have already passed beyond the veil through which I could hope to send a message. But perhaps you exist in a world yet to be? While the clans might not refer to their respective variations of Sinnoh as "almighty," anymore, the fact remains that the Diamond Clan's Sinnoh does possess some control over time. As, naturally, does Arceus itself.

Cyllene, along with several others, believe I may have come from a future time period given my clothing when I arrived all those years ago. But also given that the world seems to be shifting ever closer to the one I recall fragments of. Jubilife Village has grown quite a bit. There were even talks of possibly building a train track here. I do believe I had a fondness for trains. At least, they don't seem as foreign to me as they do to everyone else.

The conclusion being, if I was originally born in some future time, perhaps you were, too. And perhaps if that is the case, this letter can someday reach you even if I personally cannot.

Here is what I remember.

We live in a city, and it is very loud, and I do not think my present self would like it much. Too many years in a quiet village will have that effect on a person. I recall the people in the city seemed very happy there, you especially. But do go off to a quiet place once in a while. It is good to have experiences you are not used to.

There is a large wheel turning in the middle of the city which I am now taking to be a Ferris wheel. I rode one for the first time about eight years ago. It was nice, though it did not feel all that stable. I imagine with technology advancing at the rate that it is, riding the Ferris wheel in your time is a much smoother and more pleasant experience. Give it a whirl for the both of us if you have not done so in a while.

I recall us riding the train often, possibly every day. Did we travel a lot? Perhaps that is where my fondness for trains came from. I recall that we battled together with our Pokémon often as well, sometimes on the train itself. There was always someone to have a match with. These people, so devoted to the craft, we called them Pokémon trainers, I believe. And they often traveled with multiple Pokémon--four, five, or even six.

Oh, and the Poké Balls! Everyone had dozens of them! And so many different kinds! Who crafts all of these, for them to be so commonplace? That is very much a mystery to me.

Pokémon helped in all sorts of jobs around the city. And there was a famous trainer in our city who people would travel to come battle. She either had black or yellow hair; my memories are a bit foggy on that point. I believe she liked electric types. Perhaps you had an electric type as well? You would talk for hours and hours about your partners, and I loved listening to you. I remember that feeling very well, even if the details themselves are lost.

I am very excited for the future. The world you are to be born in--a place where Pokémon and people work side-by-side--I don't think I can explain how strange that sounded to my clan years ago. Even now with all I have lived through, many still think Pokémon and humans are too different to truly get along. You could say I'm the optimist among the old folks here. (Ironically, I've been told I have a pessimistic face, which is of course, ridiculous. I will assume you agree.)

I don't tell you that, Cyllene thought but kept herself quiet so as not to break his focus. He appeared to be winding down, as his pen strokes slowed:

In the event I am still with you when you receive this, please do not show it to me. Or treat me any differently. Or take any steps you believe will alter my fate. The risk of paradoxes aside, I believe I have done a great deal of good here in this life. Much of it involved stumbling into the proper opportunity to put my skills to the best use. I do not wish to place our happiness over that greater good. I hope you can understand and forgive me.

One last thing of note. I recall that I have a partner of some kind--a fire type? Or perhaps a ghost-type? I know it is very beautiful, with alluring purple flames and a phantasmal presense. If it is with you, please take care of it on my behalf? Also, if I had any other partners, please make sure they know it was not my choice to forget them...as it certainly was not my choice to forget you.

You have my everlasting gratitude for the years of friendship we shared.

Yours Sincerely,

Ingo

#

Both Ingo's hand and spirit ached a bit as he dropped the pen and hugged the egg to his chest. A warm, smoothing energy pulsed from it. Chansey nuzzled up against him, her thin, light green fur sparkling like a layer of newly sprouted grass. Ingo wasn't sure if his grandson knew this Pokémon was a rare color when he brought it in. But for the reminder of spring--a season of rebirth and new beginnings, he was exceptionally grateful.

 

[KatrinaSForest]

~~Chapter 10: Remoraid~~

Audio Version is available here.

#

In general, the Colbalt Coastlands were much warmer than Indigo's home in the Alabaster Icelands.

But on chilly nights like this one, getting close to the surf, with the wind blowing and the starless sky threatening to pour the rain any second...

Well, the Coastlands could certainly be brutal in their own way. But since Indigo was trying to connect with a ghost-type noble, it didn't make much sense to do this in daylight.

He pulled out his flute and placed his hand over the end of it, a renewed appreciation for the soothing notes it drew forth. In an instant, the water bubbles and a dark magenta smoke rose up to form the ghostly body of the noble Basculegion.

Indigo leapt onto the Pokémon's back right away. The creature, while not as finicky as Braviary, did tend to vanish when it had no passengers and got bored of the physical world.

"Excuse me, your lordship," he said, trying to be extra polite. "I have a question for you."

Basculegion bucked--a nod for him to go ahead--even as they drifted through darker waters.

Indigo held tight as he could; it felt like gripping sand. "You see, a friend of mine remembered this small, purple Pokémon that came through Hisui a long time ago. She thinks it was a pretty dangerous and powerful ghost-type. And it was found hiding in the woods. That's about all I know, but I'm trying to learn more. Can you help me at all?"

Basculegion gurgled in reply. Much to his disappointment, being bound to the Odd Keystone had not given Indigo the ability to understand Pokémon language. But he did seem to have a stronger feel for the gist of what Pokémon were saying than before.

The noble found his tidbit intriguing but had nothing to add to it.

"I guess I wouldn't expect you to know more yourself," Indigo said, "But maybe you can point me to a ghost who does?"

Basculegion gave a much higher-pitched gurgle this time and picked up speed, cutting a sharp line through the water. Apparent the Pokémon got a spark of inspiration.

Up ahead, Indigo spotted a large cluster of fish-like Pokémon gathered together. Remoraid, by the looks of it. Basculegion was headed right for them. Did it plan to attack? Indigo tensed up. Something sparkled just beneath the waves, and he reached for his Raichu's Poké Ball. At the same time, several large raindrops hit Indigo's shoulder. It would not be safe to be out here long.

Ah, my old Remoraid, sighed a voice in his head. This one must be related to it. That does bring back some memories.

Indigo smirked. So there was a ghost that knew more about that strange Pokémon. Pecharunt? Yes, he recalled its name now; his mind filled with more memories from the ghost he'd linked to. Basculegion moved in so Indigo capture the sparkling Remoraid--unlike the others, he saw it with a soft lavender hue. Like the petals of a flower. That brought back some memories, too...

When the ghost was alive, she'd lived as a young woman named Shell. She and her brother didn't have much, but they were self-sufficient, not something many people in her village could claim. So when there was a child who lost their home or family, the two siblings often took them in until they could find a more stable home.

One such child they took in was named Vessa. She was odd and told fantastic stories. And she adored Pokémon. One day, while her brother was building a new shelf and Shell was taking inventory of their supplies, Vessa came back with yet another new Pokémon friend.

It was small and unassuming. She called it Pecharunt. The two siblings told her it was very nice, but they had work to do. Vessa shrugged and walked into the house, whispering to her new companion, "Don't worry about them. We're gonna learn some stuff!"

Shell's brother went back to rebuilding the shelf. But Shell found herself intrigued. She "coincidently" had to restock their linen supply and followed behind Vessa to do so. While no room in the house was truly private, there was a lot of movement about the place, and one could often find an empty room if they waited long enough. Vessa slipped into one such bedroom. It had two bunks and a lovely ceramic basin decorated with paintings of elegant, far-off creatures like Goldeen or Dragonair.

The basin held water and Shell's Remoraid. It was a tiny thing, not even a foot long, so it was the only one that fit inside. The children thought the basin looked quite fancy with any sort of fish in it, and one of them had even sculpted a much smaller clay look-alike. It sat on a small table between the bunks, holding a stalk of hyacinth whose flowers had all closed up.

Vessa took a seat on the bottom bunk, and Shell moved past the cracked door so as not to be seen looking in on her. But she did keep a listen.

"It's really good we found each other," she said to her new Pokémon friend. "I'm not like other people, you know. I can do some really amazing stuff. See those little flowers? They're all shut tight, right?"

Shell began to stack the sheets and blankets with absurd slowness. There was a pause as presumably the little Pokémon gave her some affirmation.

"Right," Vessa replied. "Now watch this!"

As she said it, a sweet floral scent floated through the hallway--the perfume of a warm spring day. But it couldn't be...? Shell scolded herself for being silly and quickly finished unloaded the linens. Children pretended all sorts of wild things. And she'd let herself get wrapped up in them.

"A Cherrim taught me that one," Vessa giggled. "And Remoraid here showed me how to make water for it. Now...I wonder what I can learn from you?"

Still chastising herself, Shell walked past the door once again, on her way to do more chores. But she couldn't resist a quick glance into the room.

The small flowers on the stalk of hyacinth had all opened to a full bloom.

 

[Greninjaman]

Nice that you were able to find a way to write a chapter for Remoraid. It makes sense to have Indigo out on the Water on Basculegion at the Coastlands.

 

[KatrinaSForest]

Nice that you were able to find a way to write a chapter for Remoraid. It makes sense to have Indigo out on the Water on Basculegion at the Coastlands.

Yeah, that one was a challenge, for sure! And now the next one is Kricketot. ^_^;; I do have some ideas for that one, but I'm hoping I find something more unique like a Hisui regional form to switch it up after that. At least by the challenge rules, the Kricketot evolution line will be finished up.