Re: Lune (Chapter 66 posted!)
Thank you all so, so much for voting for this fic! And thank you for voting for Shockwave and Lune! Thanks to all of you who are still reading... It means a lot to me, and without you I don't think I'd have a reason to keep writing.
I present to you the next chapter - I'm sorry these are getting less frequent. I hope you like this one.
Chapter 67
The Sparkling Forest
Amazing. The deities of the temple rose seventy feet in stone, carvings of hundreds of years meticulously crafted with passion. Side by side the gods of life and oceans perched: Ho-oh, creator of all things, Lugia, defender of the depths. Wings of the phoenix spanned the entire doorway, stretching out skywards as if the mighty being were in flight. The marble had an odd gleam, and should one closely examine the feathers of the silent statue, the colors of the rainbow would spring forth, a shadow of the fabled glory of the life bringer. In this sculpture was a hint of the sun, no cold dead glow of marble, for this was a portrait of life itself. Beside the golden phoenix rose an even larger god, with a neck as long as his wing spanned. This neck was slender, arched like a swan’s, suggesting grace and mystery… For what was more mysterious than the sea? What lurked beneath the water that sparkled in the sun? Some hidden danger, perhaps… For unlike the beak of Ho-oh, Lugia’s mouth bore dagger-like teeth, and his silvery tail had black spikes like the ones that grew out of his broad back.
Breathtaken, Lune ventured further up the steps, so that the second pair of statues that loomed in the distance now emerged from the darkness. Here stood the reaper of souls, and on his right, the one who put enjoyment into life. Many found the tall, catlike statute grotesque, for his body was one riddled with contorted forms and unnatural shapes, tubes, strangely-shaped bones, crookedness of all kinds that suggested something sinister in origin. This was the unfortunate Mewtwo, rumored to have been spawned by twisted beings long forgotten. He was the punisher, the bringer of chaos and destruction. His feline companion always wore a tranquil, knowing smile. She brought fun into the world, and, by nature a mischievous god, loved to play tricks on others, but never to cause harm. She was a protector of the good, and if she could help it, she would shield from Mewtwo’s wrath even the most irremediable of souls. Lune couldn’t help but harbor a certain dislike for Mew; it seemed to him that too many undeserving pokémon had escaped the grip of justice.
The final two that Lune examined in detail were watchers of the harvest. Without looking closely, one might have assumed that the whale-like creature had wings; these were actually flippers, which bore the rain-god Kyogre swiftly through the very darkest oceans. The glowing red runes on his body gave him guidance, while his deep blue skin allowed him to melt into the water, should he choose to stay hidden. To his right towered the vicious Groudon, keeper of the land. The red-scaled behemoth displayed sharp fangs and angry eyes, much like the jagged ranges of mountains and the burning center of the earth. Should either of these gods grow angry, catastrophe would fall upon the world. Floods, storms, violent winds would wash away everything held dear; or perhaps the land would dry up, without a droplet of water to be found, and all would be lost, and trees and grass would become only a legend in a deserted world. These two constantly battled to keep each other in check, for without the delicate balance, all life would be wiped from the face of the earth.
There were more statues, but Lune passed them quickly. He knew that if he took the time to admire them all, he would not be able to complete the task he had set off for today.
He was standing at the end of the flight of stairs. In the middle was what seemed like a round altar; there was a depression in the ground with small steps leading downwards to the mahogany marble floor. At the very center of this oval altar stood a pedestal that held a lighted torch. The flame burned mysteriously, casting only enough light to hint at the five surrounding doorways that lay along the outer perimeter. These were open arches, and behind them extended corridors dimly lit by smaller fires.
“Hi! I’m pleased to finally meet you, Lord Lune.”
Lune turned to face the Vulpix and bowed, at the same time smirking to himself. He hadn’t heard that in a while. “Lune, please.”
“Oh. I’m sorry; I thought that the Sacred Kingdom followed the same title traditions as we did.”
“Don’t be. We do, but I prefer hearing my own name. Will I call you Lady Windflame?”
“Oh, no. I would feel strange asking you to address me so formally when I didn’t do the same for you. Just call me Mara.”
“My pleasure, Mara.” Lune had heard about this Vulpix on his previous visits to the Sparkling Forest, but he had not actually met her; she was rumored to be a Watcher, one of those few that Pig had put her trust in and given extended power. If it were anyone else who held the title Head of the Council, Lune would not be doubtful that the rumors were true, for he could already tell that Mara was well-mannered and most definitely capable. Still, that the Pichu could sense real ability in a pokémon? Unlikely. But perhaps they had met elsewhere and Pig just liked Mara’s personality; it would have been a fortunate accident that she chose Mara as one of her Watchers.
“Were you looking for Kera?” asked the Vulpix.
“Actually, yes, I was,” Lune replied. “We are short a Guardian in the Sacred Kingdom, and I was hoping that she would fill that position.”
“She’s through the rightmost doorway.”
“Thank you.”
The narrow corridor, dark and small though it was, felt cozy and warm. Lune felt comforted here; the Temple of Guardians seemed to have a personal touch that appealed to the heart, a sense of… home. He felt a gnawing inside him, a deep emptiness that he longed to fill, except he could not grasp what he needed; every time he felt close, it would elude him, and he would have to start all over again. All I want is a home that will welcome me.
At last, Lune arrived outside a room with a door of gold. “Kera?” he ventured.
After a few moments, the door opened, revealing the Charmeleon. Lune had not spoken to Kera in a while; she was a good friend, but they communicated well only when something needed to be done. Neither was an expert at idle chatter, and when there was nothing to say, conversation quickly died away. No, he only saw her in times of need – or play. And these days, there was no time to play.
“Long time no see.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while.” Lune tried to sort out what he would say in his head, but he decided that the best thing would be simply to tell the truth however way it came out. Kera certainly wouldn’t care about the method of delivery; she was a very straightforward pokémon, honest and matter-of-fact. Whatever she felt, she would say; so no more formalities. “We need another Guardian for the Sacred Kingdom,” Lune admitted. “You’re the only pokémon I have enough confidence with, and I’m hoping that you’ll take the job.” Since Kera was Sparkling Forest born, maybe, just maybe…? Pig was, after all, friendly with many of these residents, and though Lune would have liked Vanguard in a higher position, there would be too much uproar from the Savage Wilderness and a certain insignificant Pichu with power that no Sacred Kingdom Guardian had. Of course, all Sacred Kingdom Guardians had already been intentionally stripped of all their teeth, so that didn’t mean much, but…
Kera seemed deep in thought. Not good. “Pig told me a long time ago that I had to choose between the Sacred Kingdom and the Sparkling Forest. She said that I could only be a Guardian of one, and no offense, but I chose the Sparkling Forest.”
“Understandable, since this is your home.” Lune felt disappointed; he’d assumed that Kera was one of those favored by Pig, but then again, the Pichu did have a tendency to shun ability. “What if we could convince her that the work you will be doing is minimal?”
“What do you mean?”
“All you’ll need to do is help Naien a bit. Little things like noise control, since it can get really loud sometimes, especially the central square; probably patrolling just to make sure nobody’s getting into situations where someone can get severely injured or killed; stuff like that. I’m sure Pig can’t object to just an assistant, almost.”
“Maybe.”
Kera’s lack of enthusiasm was discouraging. Lune wondered if she even wanted to do this. He felt guilty for undermining Kera’s skills – suggesting that she should be simply an assistant – but he wanted her as a Guardian of the Sacred Kingdom, and that seemed the only way to convince her.
“Well… Think about it,” he said. “There’s nobody else I trust to do this, but I don’t want to force you into a Guardianship that you don’t want.” He turned to leave.
“I’ll do it,” she replied simply.
***
The Council. Lune tended to avoid this gathering at all costs, but unfortunately he needed to see Pig if he wanted to secure a Guardianship in the Sacred Kingdom for Kera. He felt his stomach churning sickly at the thought of the Pichu, but it couldn’t be helped; this was what happened when pokémon received charge of power they did not deserve.
“I already talked to Kera about this. She can’t be a Guardian of two States.”
Lune was persistent. He had attempted to reason with Pig for almost five hours now, but he would not give in to her insistence on being stupid; he would not stop bothering her until she did what she was supposed to do. “But she won’t really have the full duties of a Guardian.” Reluctantly, Lune forced out the next phrase. He hated having to hide the fact that he would soon leave the Sacred Kingdom, but he also did not want to introduce any factors that might affect Pig’s decision. “Naien and I will make the important decisions if she does not have time for them. She will only need to help with small tasks like keeping things in control around the Sacred Kingdom. We can’t be everywhere at once, so having an extra Guardian would greatly alleviate our responsibilities.”
“I don’t know…” said the Pichu.
“We won’t give her any more work than necessary,” Naien added. “Don’t worry. We won’t strain her. Her job will be rather easy.”
“Well… Show me some sparkly fireworks and I’ll think about it.”
Lune thought he had heard wrong, but considering who he was dealing with, he wouldn’t put it past her to do something so idiotic. To be a Guardian, you required ‘sparkly fireworks’? That was the qualification?
Mara, who had been listening, assured Pig that Kera would be a good choice. She proceeded to hurl a ball of fire into the air, which spread into many glowing circles as the embers fell to the ground. Naien’s display followed Mara’s – she threw a shadowy orb upwards and met it with flame so that it erupted, sending showers of sparks across the sky.
“Okay, fine,” Pig announced, “Kera can be a Guardian of the Sacred Kingdom now.”
It was funny how even when Pig did what Lune wanted her to do, he could still feel unsatisfied.
***
“Farewell, Shockwave, but never goodbye…” Lune cast a weary glance to the Sanctuary falls, half hoping to see a shock of yellow fur show through the watery curtain, but maybe it was not meant to be.
Beside the stream, laid against the rock foundation of the cave, shone the old Moon Stone, brightest under a starry night. The evening sun cast red rays upon the small relic, a remnant of a memory from long ago. Lying so serenely against the wall, the symbol of a past of unfounded fear, of better times, a secret.
“Remember when I ran away and you came after me?” Why had he tried to hide from Shockwave so that he couldn’t follow? If Lune could do that over, he wouldn’t have run away; he’d have taken as much time with Shockwave as he could get. If only he had known before…
He’d been trying to reach his friend for weeks, but unlike the last times, he couldn’t seem to make a connection anymore. Lune couldn’t speak to Shockwave, and Shockwave couldn’t hear him.
“Wonder what you’re doing now…” Lune tenderly lifted the Moon Stone and placed it by the riverbank. Here the ground was moist and easier to dig through, which Lune was counting on, because he hadn’t the heart nor strength to dig. What he was burying was all that remained of his past… his memories… his time with Shockwave. “You must’ve found something really great out there,” Lune said sadly. “I hope it’s as wonderful as what you gave me.” He paused to cover the silver stone with earth. Slowly, he brushed his paws over the gleaming gem, reluctant to deny it the moonlight. A few brave stars already speckled the darkness above; soon the Moon Stone would flower beautifully with light. And after its night of glory, it would become day again, and the stone would grow dull and lose its luster. And the cycle would continue, every day, every night, every age, every lifetime. For eternity.
“We had something special, you and I…” The last of the earth closed over the stone, sealing it permanently underneath. “If you would only fly with me, one last time.” And Lune could see himself running through the autumn leaves, and the grinning Shockwave would be winning as always, a flash of yellow in the midst of the red and golden trees… And they’d be together again and Shockwave would turn to gold and give Lune wings, and they’d fly with each other together into the world ahead.
