Writing Ideas - Forgotten Paths Edit: It's cheesy as hell.
So…Who’s up for FP’s continuation?
Ielas: “Goddamn it. Let’s do this!”
Fine…Ok. It stopped once our characters dropped at Sunny shore right?
Well, they continue their road, with Lucian hanging around, as he’s heading to the lake north of the place.
They drop at the Hotel, which is owned by a member of Katherine’s family, and stay there for a while. Yes, same hotel Mahab is at.
One night, Saif is restless, so he leaves the hotel alone, accompanied by Ielas, to the lake, where Lucian is supposed to be.
He reaches the large lake, and finds himself alone. Soon, though, he runs into Lucian, and the two begin talking, but then Saif sees something off the corner of his eye, a small circle of water stirred by nothing (or something invisible), and action ensues.
A stream of a black substance runs over the water, almost gliding, towards the two. Ielas lifts a barrier to protect Saif, and gets blasted into the forest behind, slightly smoking. Lucian isn’t affected, but curls his hand into a fist, and blasts a torrent of light into the source, revealing something that was previously hidden.
A teenager stands on the water’s surface, holding before him a protective barrier. The shock of Lucian’s strike breaks the barrier, and the man lets them drop to the water softly.
“Saif, stand back-”
So, for the next few paragraphs, a lot of action and fighting, before Ielas comes to Saif’s side, recovered from the blow, and says, “Saif, he possesses a Pokémon Aura.”
“What?”
“Good eye, Ielas.” Lucian says. “He’s a Channeler…but that isn’t an aura, it’s a radiation of a siphoned Pokémon’s HP.”
Saif suddenly gets a flashback about that laboratory report in the island.
“He probably killed the Pokémon in the process,” Lucian ends his short explanation.
How…merciless! Saif can’t help hear Ielas think, and mentally agrees, before standing up.
“Don’t get involved! He’s Dark-based,” Lucian shouts.
Saif doesn’t heed him any word, and in his mind echoes Ielas’s thought - “murderer…”
Saif flicked his hands, the same motion Ielas did in the same second, before both made the same hand symbol, saying in union: “Bond!”
To them, the world became one. They could see with two visions, they moved with two bodies…they fought with one heart.
“…Perfect bonding,” Lucian said. “That technique-”
“Feel the agony you forced yourself to forget!” They shouted in one voice, as the world rippled with energy, wave upon wave of perfect synergy, surging through the water against the man.
“Psychic!”
Instantly, in Saif’s mind, came flash upon flash of memories-
“Take care of him, Joseph.”
What a cute dog!
“I’ll name him Wolfe! And I’ll become the best trainer in my school!”
The Poochyena barked, as if agreeing-
“I’m sorry...Wolfe.”
The Mightyena whimpered, but stood fast in loyalty.
“You’ll stay with me…forever.”
He almost cried, as the Mightyena kneeled, and his hands glowed, before it howled in agony-
Blood poured-
Blood poured-
His comrades-died.
“Saif…your recklessness…your heroism cost you dearly.”
He cried for years…before it has mercy upon him…and did what Ielas begged for.
“Saif…” Ielas begged, kneeling. “Let him suffer no more, Thihan-Dalm.”
How…could I have forgotten?
Ielas’s voice came like a light in the darkness, spreading away the fog of confusion and misery, “What is wrong?”
“I…saw a man,” Saif spoke, finding himself on the grass. Looking up, he saw the Channeler, on his knees over the water, crying.
“What have I done?” He shouted, before bringing his hand to his face-
“STOP!” Lucian shouted.
It was all surreal…
“Thihan-Dalm…I beg of you…redeem me.” Saif heard the voice of the Channeler, before his eyes turned white, and his aura disappeared.
The man fell into the lake, dead.
Saif’s eyes shook, wide, before he felt a weight on his chest, and doubled over, his fingertips white-
“What-” Before he shouted, and fell unconscious.
Saif awoke later in a white, sterile room. Ielas was beside him, sitting on a stool, his body spread on Saif’s bed, sleeping.
“Always…beside me,” Saif smiled weakly, before leaning back, and looking out the bright window.
“Was it all a dream?” He thought. “’Redeem me?’ Who did you seek, Ielas? And what for?” Saif asked the sleeping Pokémon, not expecting an answer.
~Saif
Soon after, while I was midway through Pokeball Today, Mark came in, along with Alex. I blinked, asking them where Katherine was, but she soon barged after, grabbing me by the ear.
“OW!”
“Do you just love getting us worried sick about you? You were unconscious since yesterday!”
“I-was?”
I didn’t feel the flow of time, honestly.
“Geez,” She said, letting go of my ear and folding her arms. “I was worried you’ll miss the festival with us.”
“What festival?” I asked.
“The Harvest Festival, idiot,” Mark said, good-naturedly. “You chose this area to witness it, don’t you remember?”
“What?” I almost shouted. Did I lose that much of my memory? AGAIN?!
“Mark, stop scaring Saif. It was my idea,” Alex said, smiling. He sat beside Ielas, who was deep asleep. “He was unconscious for half the time you were…but he’s making up for it, as you can see.”
“Funny,” I smiled, patting Ielas’s head.
“Now…don’t miss the Festival. You should be ok by now…” Katherine said. “Aren’t you?” She added with an evil look. I felt a bit scared, so I nodded obediently.
“Good boy. It’ll start this evening, town square,” She said, smiling. “A lot of prizes involved.”
And left.
“What does she mean by that?” Mark asked me suspiciously. I smiled at him, leaning back, “It was probably intended for Alex. Work out some prizes for her.”
Alex smiled lightly, before Mark thinned his eyes, “Yeah…fulfill your role in this love-circle.”
“What are you talking about?” Alex asked; face slightly reddening enough for me to see it.
“Take that with you, Mark,” I said, standing up and pushing them both out of the room. I returned to my bed, grinning at their bickering.
Soon after, when dusk came, I jumped off the bed, and looked for my black tailcoat, as well as my dark gray vest under it, and wore them, as well as my blue jeans. I turned to Ielas, who was still asleep, and my heart begun to worry.
“Ielas? Are you ok?” I asked, touching his shoulder. He shook a bit, before groggily looking up at me.
“You’re alive?” He asked.
“Idiot,” I responded, slapping his head lightly. “Of course I’m alive.”
“But your mind was too calm…it was like a wave-less sea,” he said, standing up slowly, swaying slightly.
“Ielas,” I said seriously. Suddenly he was flustered, as he turned his head to the ground. “What happened to me?”
“I…Um…I did what I thought best-” he begun. What is this idiot talking about?
“…I’m talking about the Channeler. I remember him when he was young, so to speak,” I begun, sitting down. “I told Mark, Alex and Katherine about what I saw, and I’m surprised you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
He suddenly looked relieved and blushed slightly, scratching his head, “Sorry, Saif. I didn’t access his memories, only a glimpse of what you saw was obvious to me.”
“Did you see what happened to Wolfe?” I asked. He nodded, lowering his head.
“A tragic tale…but I don’t know how this relates…it corresponds with a memory you had while I was in Sunyshore, doesn’t it?”
“Indeed,” I said, smiling. “It’s good that we’re on the same wave length. Let’s put this behind for now and enjoy the Festival.”
He nodded, smiling, as I extended my hand. He shook it, and as I left, he asked me as he followed, “Did Katherine drop a threat-in-a-box?”
“God, you know her well,” I responded. “Probably wants Alex to beat Mark into winning prizes or whatnot.”
“…Maybe you’d do well in a relationship, Saif,” Ielas said neutrally.
My face reddened, “What kind or relationship?”
“You’re really shy,” He smiled mischievously.
“Geez…and I thought only humans liked to mess around,” I sighed, heading to the exit.
“But really,” Ielas spoke again. I turned, and he smiled. “Having a female companion definitely loosens a knot on a man’s chest.”
“Yeah…or makes one in his brain,” I joked.
He thinned his eyes in irritation, “…Idiot.”
The festival was huge. Unnumbered booths spread in the square, with unique things to offer. I walked in sort of late, and I was thankful that I didn’t see Katherine yet.
I saw Mark a distance away, stalking Alex, following him in every game he plays. I felt awkward; he must be trying to fulfill the threat-in-a-box Katherine gave to Alex, who was clearly nervous.
I felt suddenly a strain on my chest, unable to breathe for a second, and I fell to my knees momentarily.
“Saif, what’s wrong?” Ielas whispered, helping me up. I held back my breath, before I hissed, “Same…feeling…Channeler…nearby-”
“What?” He exclaimed, before I grabbed his wrist, pulling him to an ally. “I…can feel one around…can you sense any abnormal auras?”
“I don’t know,” Ielas started. “There are a lot of Pokémon trainers and Pokémon in the festival…but I’ll try- Oh, wait! I sense one stronger--”
My eyes gleamed as I saw a tall man walk quickly through the festival, I felt a shade of blackness trailing him. The same feeling I foresaw fighting Wolfe’s late trainer.
“Follow me, quick.”
We ran through the crowd after the man. Three minutes of one-sided chase led us to an alley. The man stopped facing a wall, and then turned to us.
“My, my…stalking much?” The man asked slowly. He had sharp, handsome figures, but a certain touch of cruelty in his manner…the way he smirked, the way he stood…flowed with confidence and power. “Psychic?”
Was following him….A bad decision?
“Hey, you,” I said, pointing at him. “You’re a Channeler, aren’t you?”
“Idiot! Why are you confronting him?” Ielas whispered in my mind. I didn’t respond.
The man’s eyebrows rose in mocking surprise, as he asked, “You know about us? Our secret leaked out faster than I thought possible…”
“I was informed of you,” I responded. “What is your relationship to the Channeler before…Wolfe’s owner, Joseph?”
The man’s mocking look turned into genuine surprise, as he asked, eyes wide, “How…do you know about him?”
“He died yesterday…” I said, before suddenly realizing it. It sunk in-I was partially responsible for his suicide. The surge of emotions was along Ielas’s thoughts. But the man’s surprise melted away.
“He died? I expected so.”
“Wha-how can you say that?” I asked suddenly.
“His mission was to end the life of the Thihan Lucian…and it seems that he bit off more than he can chew,” the man said coldly. “Joseph was my apprentice…and now he is part of you.”
“What--?” I asked suddenly.
“It seems you know only have a half-baked idea of what’s happening, Thihan,” The man said emotionlessly, as a cold wind blew on us.
“Thihan?” I asked.
“Joseph is one of Ending’s prime soldiers…a Channeler like you said, and his failure and following death, along with his last wish, channeled something into a Thihan like you…”
“What do you mean?” I asked, horrified. His memories…I got his memories…but did that late Joseph give me something else?
“I have not come here as an agent for Ending, Thihan Saif,” The man said, his hair rippling with the wind, his eyes focused on me. “I have come to warn Thihan Lucian, but it seems you were also pulled into this plot as well…and you are now as much a target as the Elite Four. You are Marked.”
I was speechless.
“It seems I said enough, Thihan-Dalm Saif,” The man said coldly. “But I leave you with a warning and a guiding hand; head to the far north…seek out the Lake of the Master of Memories, and hope that Ending’s Military counterpart hasn’t taken away with the lake already…if you want to use Joseph’s cursed power for good.”
He then jumped swiftly to the top of the wall, and looked at me, before he snapped his fingers, and disappeared.
“Saif…” Ielas whispered urgently.
“…”
“Saif, there is another Channeler…and something big is happening!” Ielas shouted in my mind. I turned, before following him.
The golden light of lamps that lit the night was replaced by the burning, flickering light of a huge fire.
I stood back in shock, before I saw the people pulling buckets of water and dumping it into the flame, while the fires of a fire ambulance was ringing a short distance away.
“Stop using water!” One shouted. “The fire is running on electricity! That’s why it isn’t dousing!”
“Wrong,” Lucian whispered at me. I turned to see him, and he pointed at the middle of the fire. In it, a shadow of a woman crouched in the flames.
“Mark, stop!” I heard Alex shout, as I saw Mark on himself a bucket of water, and ran to the flames.
“You idiot!” I shouted, throwing him to the ground. He pointed at the woman, shouting, “She’ll die!”
“You’ll die too!” Katherine shouted, holding him back. “This fire is too hot!”
“Come on!” Lucian pulled off his glasses, lifted his hands, before he shouted in effort, and the whole place rattled. The earth rumbled, as the fire begun to disappear.
“Psychic?” I heard one ask, before they shouted in amazement, “Lucian! He’ll save her!”
But the feeling stopped, followed by a heavy feeling in everyone’s chest, forcing them to the ground, even Lucian, whose fingertips became black. “Damn!”
“Saif…” Ielas spoke. I turned to him, before he whispered in my mind. “It’s a Channeler.”
“Right,” Lucian spoke. “Fire-Dark based…she reacted to my mind-barrier with a Dark-based counter spell.”
“Let’s see what we can do,” I smiled nervously, before I shouted, pulling back my hand into a symbol. “Bond!”
“Bond!” Ielas shouted instantly, before Lucian shouted, his voice faint in our focus, “Don’t break the Channeler’s illusion! She may kill herself as well!”
“What?” I heard Mark ask, and I smiled internally, whispering to Ielas, “A low-level spell…Confusion.”
“Excellent choice.”
But suddenly, once I let half the order, my chest ached horribly. “Ielas! Wait! Dark-”
Ielas couldn’t hear me, but fell to his knees, before my head shook in pain, throbbing horribly, before I shouted, “NO!”
Blood flowed down my nose, as my fingertips became white-
My eyes shook, everything was blurry--
The waves of energy flowed, strengthening by the second. I could faintly hear the shouts of pain from the people around me-
Lucian’s voice shouted, “Run-”
I…must regain control-I whispered, eyes thinning. “We shouldn’t have bonded so soon after I broke-”
Bells rung-
No--- I shouted again, but I could barely hear my voice-My powers flowed so strong---so fluidly…They ran out of control-
I could see my surroundings…the buildings around me dented in strain-
“SAIF!” Ielas shouted. I could barely see him-
“DISPELL!” I shouted, pulling my hands apart, feeling as if I’m tearing the earth asunder…my muscles strained…blood poured-
“How…impressive…”
The man stood before the dispelled flames, and lifted the fainted Channeler; in his hands were two strings, one attached to each Saif and Ielas.
He thinned his eyes, “Your sense of heroism…will be your downfall, Thihan-Dalm Saif.”
He released the two black strings…and once he did, the surge of psyche dissipated, and the two hit the ground.
But the man waited, and once he saw Saif’s hand twitch, and turn into a grip, he smiled lightly, before leaving.
“God damn it…two times in one day…” Katherine sighed, looking at an injured Saif. “He always leaves us at the edge…”
“He did save us, though,” Alex smiled. “Always the hero…”
Katherine poked Saif’s belly, “And broke down the festival…thank God no one knows…it’s all a huge, electric fire to them.”
“He’s coming around,” Alex spoke suddenly, as Saif’s eyes twitched.
“Oh, no…you’re all here…” Saif smiled weakly, his eyes still closed.
“YOU IDIOT! YOU HAD ME WORRIED SICK!” Katherine hollered, grabbing Saif by the collar.
“Calm down,” Saif smiled weakly at her. She blushed slightly at how close he was from her face, dropping him back.
“You broke the Sinnoh record,” Katherine said. “Two days…two days…and we had to use body fluids to feed you…”
“What?” Saif asked.
“And the nurses took turns to take you to the bathroom, you baby,” Katherine teased. Saif blushed heavily.
“Where’s Mark?” Saif asked suddenly, regaining some flexibility. “I have something important to tell you all.”
“Enough of your adventures, Saif,” Katherine said. “I’m beginning to get seriously worried!”
“This is serious, Katherine,” Saif replied, frowning slightly.
“…He’s getting you that lemon juice you crave…” She said, sighing.
“Awesome,” Saif responded, drooling slightly.
“Speak of the devil,” Alex said, once Mark appeared at the door, holding three soda cans, and a glass of lemon juice.
“Added salt?” Saif asked eagerly. Mark nodded, the very idea making him feel sour.
Saif, on the other hand, consumed half of it in a gulp. Everyone in the ward felt sick, except for Saif, who licked his lips, enjoying the sour taste.
“So what is the idea?” Mark asked seriously. Saif put his drink on a side table, and took a glance at Ielas, who was asleep in a ward bed on the other side of the room.
He turned back to them, and told them everything, including the unexplainable memory of Ielas begging and the surge of thoughts he got.
They were silent for a moment, before Mark said slowly, “Marked.”
“Hmm…they were after Lucian?” Katherine asked. “Could it be for his book?”
“Probably…but he called him a Thihan…a title or a name that came on his tongue more than once. Maybe the book isn’t as important--” Saif responded slowly. “I was reminded of that laboratory in the mobile island we ran into…same mention of HP.”
Alex frowned slightly, “That’s strange…a Festival seems like a random occurrence, doesn’t it?”
“Well…yeah,” Saif responded. “Maybe it was because Lucian’s presence…he did partially cause the S.S.Queen to sink, didn’t he?”
“Marked,” Mark repeated.
“What does this all mean?” Katherine scratched her hair with both her hands.
“Mark!” Mark said suddenly, as if finding the answer to everything.
Everyone turned to him with glaring eyes.
“Did you just remember your name or something?” Katherine asked coldly.
“Did you receive a physical mark, Saif?” Mark suddenly asked, giving only a passing glare at Katherine.
“Well…yes,” Saif said suddenly, pulling off his shirt. Katherine almost shouted at him, but then saw the black, twisted sharp-looking tornado mark on chest. It was small, above his stomach and under his ribcage.
“That’s the mark of Shadow, or Evil in ancient script,” Mark said confidently. “It also appeared for a second on Lucian’s fingers during the ‘counter spell’ the Channeler used in the festival, right? I saw something black, but I wasn’t close enough to confirm.”
“…Wow!” Katherine exclaimed. “Is that right, Saif?”
“Yes, I did see a symbol, but I wasn’t sure of its shape…but it definitely looked like a black tornado,” Saif said, smiling widely. “How’d you know that?”
“Ancient language classes,” Mark said, folding his arms proudly. “While you noobs were doing Advanced Breeding or another useless class in the Pre-master Pokémon Academies, I chose Ancient Language.”
“Amazing!” Katherine exclaimed again. “I didn’t expect that. Do you also know what Thihan means?”
“Of course,” Mark said, turning his eyes to Katherine, whose impression suddenly reddened Mark’s face. He froze for a second, before blushing. “I forgot…”
“Hehe…I didn’t know you were shy, Mark,” Alex smirked, before avoiding a flying slipper.
“Oh, but I remember what Dalm means,” Mark said, lifting a finger, and putting it to his lip, biting its nail. “It’s a suffix…It means superior…or master, or senior…one of those.”
“He called Lucian Thihan, but called me Thihan-Dalm? What does that mean?” Saif asked himself, biting his lip.
“Saif?” Lucian’s voice came from outside the room, before knocking the door.
“Speak of the devil!” Saif smiled widely. “Come in, Lucian.”
“I brought a few friends with me,” His face came by, wearing his glasses. He opened the door, and there were two people behind him. A long, beautiful blonde woman, wearing a tailcoat that looked a lot like Saif’s, her hip-long hair clipped back, and a middle-aged man, with a large, bushy white mustache, and white hair. “I want you to meet two of my comrades, Lady Cynthia, champion of Sinnoh, and Professor Rowan, a specialist of Pokémon.”
Saif straightened himself, as he saw the two figures. Cynthia smiled lightly, as Rowan absently gazed at Ielas with expert eyes, before they both lifted their hands in formal greeting, “Welcome to Sinnoh, Saif.”
Continued on next post.
Ielas: “Goddamn it. Let’s do this!”
Fine…Ok. It stopped once our characters dropped at Sunny shore right?
Well, they continue their road, with Lucian hanging around, as he’s heading to the lake north of the place.
They drop at the Hotel, which is owned by a member of Katherine’s family, and stay there for a while. Yes, same hotel Mahab is at.
One night, Saif is restless, so he leaves the hotel alone, accompanied by Ielas, to the lake, where Lucian is supposed to be.
He reaches the large lake, and finds himself alone. Soon, though, he runs into Lucian, and the two begin talking, but then Saif sees something off the corner of his eye, a small circle of water stirred by nothing (or something invisible), and action ensues.
A stream of a black substance runs over the water, almost gliding, towards the two. Ielas lifts a barrier to protect Saif, and gets blasted into the forest behind, slightly smoking. Lucian isn’t affected, but curls his hand into a fist, and blasts a torrent of light into the source, revealing something that was previously hidden.
A teenager stands on the water’s surface, holding before him a protective barrier. The shock of Lucian’s strike breaks the barrier, and the man lets them drop to the water softly.
“Saif, stand back-”
So, for the next few paragraphs, a lot of action and fighting, before Ielas comes to Saif’s side, recovered from the blow, and says, “Saif, he possesses a Pokémon Aura.”
“What?”
“Good eye, Ielas.” Lucian says. “He’s a Channeler…but that isn’t an aura, it’s a radiation of a siphoned Pokémon’s HP.”
Saif suddenly gets a flashback about that laboratory report in the island.
“He probably killed the Pokémon in the process,” Lucian ends his short explanation.
How…merciless! Saif can’t help hear Ielas think, and mentally agrees, before standing up.
“Don’t get involved! He’s Dark-based,” Lucian shouts.
Saif doesn’t heed him any word, and in his mind echoes Ielas’s thought - “murderer…”
Saif flicked his hands, the same motion Ielas did in the same second, before both made the same hand symbol, saying in union: “Bond!”
To them, the world became one. They could see with two visions, they moved with two bodies…they fought with one heart.
“…Perfect bonding,” Lucian said. “That technique-”
“Feel the agony you forced yourself to forget!” They shouted in one voice, as the world rippled with energy, wave upon wave of perfect synergy, surging through the water against the man.
“Psychic!”
Instantly, in Saif’s mind, came flash upon flash of memories-
“Take care of him, Joseph.”
What a cute dog!
“I’ll name him Wolfe! And I’ll become the best trainer in my school!”
The Poochyena barked, as if agreeing-
“I’m sorry...Wolfe.”
The Mightyena whimpered, but stood fast in loyalty.
“You’ll stay with me…forever.”
He almost cried, as the Mightyena kneeled, and his hands glowed, before it howled in agony-
Blood poured-
Blood poured-
His comrades-died.
“Saif…your recklessness…your heroism cost you dearly.”
He cried for years…before it has mercy upon him…and did what Ielas begged for.
“Saif…” Ielas begged, kneeling. “Let him suffer no more, Thihan-Dalm.”
How…could I have forgotten?
Ielas’s voice came like a light in the darkness, spreading away the fog of confusion and misery, “What is wrong?”
“I…saw a man,” Saif spoke, finding himself on the grass. Looking up, he saw the Channeler, on his knees over the water, crying.
“What have I done?” He shouted, before bringing his hand to his face-
“STOP!” Lucian shouted.
It was all surreal…
“Thihan-Dalm…I beg of you…redeem me.” Saif heard the voice of the Channeler, before his eyes turned white, and his aura disappeared.
The man fell into the lake, dead.
Saif’s eyes shook, wide, before he felt a weight on his chest, and doubled over, his fingertips white-
“What-” Before he shouted, and fell unconscious.
Saif awoke later in a white, sterile room. Ielas was beside him, sitting on a stool, his body spread on Saif’s bed, sleeping.
“Always…beside me,” Saif smiled weakly, before leaning back, and looking out the bright window.
“Was it all a dream?” He thought. “’Redeem me?’ Who did you seek, Ielas? And what for?” Saif asked the sleeping Pokémon, not expecting an answer.
~Saif
Soon after, while I was midway through Pokeball Today, Mark came in, along with Alex. I blinked, asking them where Katherine was, but she soon barged after, grabbing me by the ear.
“OW!”
“Do you just love getting us worried sick about you? You were unconscious since yesterday!”
“I-was?”
I didn’t feel the flow of time, honestly.
“Geez,” She said, letting go of my ear and folding her arms. “I was worried you’ll miss the festival with us.”
“What festival?” I asked.
“The Harvest Festival, idiot,” Mark said, good-naturedly. “You chose this area to witness it, don’t you remember?”
“What?” I almost shouted. Did I lose that much of my memory? AGAIN?!
“Mark, stop scaring Saif. It was my idea,” Alex said, smiling. He sat beside Ielas, who was deep asleep. “He was unconscious for half the time you were…but he’s making up for it, as you can see.”
“Funny,” I smiled, patting Ielas’s head.
“Now…don’t miss the Festival. You should be ok by now…” Katherine said. “Aren’t you?” She added with an evil look. I felt a bit scared, so I nodded obediently.
“Good boy. It’ll start this evening, town square,” She said, smiling. “A lot of prizes involved.”
And left.
“What does she mean by that?” Mark asked me suspiciously. I smiled at him, leaning back, “It was probably intended for Alex. Work out some prizes for her.”
Alex smiled lightly, before Mark thinned his eyes, “Yeah…fulfill your role in this love-circle.”
“What are you talking about?” Alex asked; face slightly reddening enough for me to see it.
“Take that with you, Mark,” I said, standing up and pushing them both out of the room. I returned to my bed, grinning at their bickering.
Soon after, when dusk came, I jumped off the bed, and looked for my black tailcoat, as well as my dark gray vest under it, and wore them, as well as my blue jeans. I turned to Ielas, who was still asleep, and my heart begun to worry.
“Ielas? Are you ok?” I asked, touching his shoulder. He shook a bit, before groggily looking up at me.
“You’re alive?” He asked.
“Idiot,” I responded, slapping his head lightly. “Of course I’m alive.”
“But your mind was too calm…it was like a wave-less sea,” he said, standing up slowly, swaying slightly.
“Ielas,” I said seriously. Suddenly he was flustered, as he turned his head to the ground. “What happened to me?”
“I…Um…I did what I thought best-” he begun. What is this idiot talking about?
“…I’m talking about the Channeler. I remember him when he was young, so to speak,” I begun, sitting down. “I told Mark, Alex and Katherine about what I saw, and I’m surprised you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
He suddenly looked relieved and blushed slightly, scratching his head, “Sorry, Saif. I didn’t access his memories, only a glimpse of what you saw was obvious to me.”
“Did you see what happened to Wolfe?” I asked. He nodded, lowering his head.
“A tragic tale…but I don’t know how this relates…it corresponds with a memory you had while I was in Sunyshore, doesn’t it?”
“Indeed,” I said, smiling. “It’s good that we’re on the same wave length. Let’s put this behind for now and enjoy the Festival.”
He nodded, smiling, as I extended my hand. He shook it, and as I left, he asked me as he followed, “Did Katherine drop a threat-in-a-box?”
“God, you know her well,” I responded. “Probably wants Alex to beat Mark into winning prizes or whatnot.”
“…Maybe you’d do well in a relationship, Saif,” Ielas said neutrally.
My face reddened, “What kind or relationship?”
“You’re really shy,” He smiled mischievously.
“Geez…and I thought only humans liked to mess around,” I sighed, heading to the exit.
“But really,” Ielas spoke again. I turned, and he smiled. “Having a female companion definitely loosens a knot on a man’s chest.”
“Yeah…or makes one in his brain,” I joked.
He thinned his eyes in irritation, “…Idiot.”
The festival was huge. Unnumbered booths spread in the square, with unique things to offer. I walked in sort of late, and I was thankful that I didn’t see Katherine yet.
I saw Mark a distance away, stalking Alex, following him in every game he plays. I felt awkward; he must be trying to fulfill the threat-in-a-box Katherine gave to Alex, who was clearly nervous.
I felt suddenly a strain on my chest, unable to breathe for a second, and I fell to my knees momentarily.
“Saif, what’s wrong?” Ielas whispered, helping me up. I held back my breath, before I hissed, “Same…feeling…Channeler…nearby-”
“What?” He exclaimed, before I grabbed his wrist, pulling him to an ally. “I…can feel one around…can you sense any abnormal auras?”
“I don’t know,” Ielas started. “There are a lot of Pokémon trainers and Pokémon in the festival…but I’ll try- Oh, wait! I sense one stronger--”
My eyes gleamed as I saw a tall man walk quickly through the festival, I felt a shade of blackness trailing him. The same feeling I foresaw fighting Wolfe’s late trainer.
“Follow me, quick.”
We ran through the crowd after the man. Three minutes of one-sided chase led us to an alley. The man stopped facing a wall, and then turned to us.
“My, my…stalking much?” The man asked slowly. He had sharp, handsome figures, but a certain touch of cruelty in his manner…the way he smirked, the way he stood…flowed with confidence and power. “Psychic?”
Was following him….A bad decision?
“Hey, you,” I said, pointing at him. “You’re a Channeler, aren’t you?”
“Idiot! Why are you confronting him?” Ielas whispered in my mind. I didn’t respond.
The man’s eyebrows rose in mocking surprise, as he asked, “You know about us? Our secret leaked out faster than I thought possible…”
“I was informed of you,” I responded. “What is your relationship to the Channeler before…Wolfe’s owner, Joseph?”
The man’s mocking look turned into genuine surprise, as he asked, eyes wide, “How…do you know about him?”
“He died yesterday…” I said, before suddenly realizing it. It sunk in-I was partially responsible for his suicide. The surge of emotions was along Ielas’s thoughts. But the man’s surprise melted away.
“He died? I expected so.”
“Wha-how can you say that?” I asked suddenly.
“His mission was to end the life of the Thihan Lucian…and it seems that he bit off more than he can chew,” the man said coldly. “Joseph was my apprentice…and now he is part of you.”
“What--?” I asked suddenly.
“It seems you know only have a half-baked idea of what’s happening, Thihan,” The man said emotionlessly, as a cold wind blew on us.
“Thihan?” I asked.
“Joseph is one of Ending’s prime soldiers…a Channeler like you said, and his failure and following death, along with his last wish, channeled something into a Thihan like you…”
“What do you mean?” I asked, horrified. His memories…I got his memories…but did that late Joseph give me something else?
“I have not come here as an agent for Ending, Thihan Saif,” The man said, his hair rippling with the wind, his eyes focused on me. “I have come to warn Thihan Lucian, but it seems you were also pulled into this plot as well…and you are now as much a target as the Elite Four. You are Marked.”
I was speechless.
“It seems I said enough, Thihan-Dalm Saif,” The man said coldly. “But I leave you with a warning and a guiding hand; head to the far north…seek out the Lake of the Master of Memories, and hope that Ending’s Military counterpart hasn’t taken away with the lake already…if you want to use Joseph’s cursed power for good.”
He then jumped swiftly to the top of the wall, and looked at me, before he snapped his fingers, and disappeared.
“Saif…” Ielas whispered urgently.
“…”
“Saif, there is another Channeler…and something big is happening!” Ielas shouted in my mind. I turned, before following him.
The golden light of lamps that lit the night was replaced by the burning, flickering light of a huge fire.
I stood back in shock, before I saw the people pulling buckets of water and dumping it into the flame, while the fires of a fire ambulance was ringing a short distance away.
“Stop using water!” One shouted. “The fire is running on electricity! That’s why it isn’t dousing!”
“Wrong,” Lucian whispered at me. I turned to see him, and he pointed at the middle of the fire. In it, a shadow of a woman crouched in the flames.
“Mark, stop!” I heard Alex shout, as I saw Mark on himself a bucket of water, and ran to the flames.
“You idiot!” I shouted, throwing him to the ground. He pointed at the woman, shouting, “She’ll die!”
“You’ll die too!” Katherine shouted, holding him back. “This fire is too hot!”
“Come on!” Lucian pulled off his glasses, lifted his hands, before he shouted in effort, and the whole place rattled. The earth rumbled, as the fire begun to disappear.
“Psychic?” I heard one ask, before they shouted in amazement, “Lucian! He’ll save her!”
But the feeling stopped, followed by a heavy feeling in everyone’s chest, forcing them to the ground, even Lucian, whose fingertips became black. “Damn!”
“Saif…” Ielas spoke. I turned to him, before he whispered in my mind. “It’s a Channeler.”
“Right,” Lucian spoke. “Fire-Dark based…she reacted to my mind-barrier with a Dark-based counter spell.”
“Let’s see what we can do,” I smiled nervously, before I shouted, pulling back my hand into a symbol. “Bond!”
“Bond!” Ielas shouted instantly, before Lucian shouted, his voice faint in our focus, “Don’t break the Channeler’s illusion! She may kill herself as well!”
“What?” I heard Mark ask, and I smiled internally, whispering to Ielas, “A low-level spell…Confusion.”
“Excellent choice.”
But suddenly, once I let half the order, my chest ached horribly. “Ielas! Wait! Dark-”
Ielas couldn’t hear me, but fell to his knees, before my head shook in pain, throbbing horribly, before I shouted, “NO!”
Blood flowed down my nose, as my fingertips became white-
My eyes shook, everything was blurry--
The waves of energy flowed, strengthening by the second. I could faintly hear the shouts of pain from the people around me-
Lucian’s voice shouted, “Run-”
I…must regain control-I whispered, eyes thinning. “We shouldn’t have bonded so soon after I broke-”
Bells rung-
No--- I shouted again, but I could barely hear my voice-My powers flowed so strong---so fluidly…They ran out of control-
I could see my surroundings…the buildings around me dented in strain-
“SAIF!” Ielas shouted. I could barely see him-
“DISPELL!” I shouted, pulling my hands apart, feeling as if I’m tearing the earth asunder…my muscles strained…blood poured-
“How…impressive…”
The man stood before the dispelled flames, and lifted the fainted Channeler; in his hands were two strings, one attached to each Saif and Ielas.
He thinned his eyes, “Your sense of heroism…will be your downfall, Thihan-Dalm Saif.”
He released the two black strings…and once he did, the surge of psyche dissipated, and the two hit the ground.
But the man waited, and once he saw Saif’s hand twitch, and turn into a grip, he smiled lightly, before leaving.
“God damn it…two times in one day…” Katherine sighed, looking at an injured Saif. “He always leaves us at the edge…”
“He did save us, though,” Alex smiled. “Always the hero…”
Katherine poked Saif’s belly, “And broke down the festival…thank God no one knows…it’s all a huge, electric fire to them.”
“He’s coming around,” Alex spoke suddenly, as Saif’s eyes twitched.
“Oh, no…you’re all here…” Saif smiled weakly, his eyes still closed.
“YOU IDIOT! YOU HAD ME WORRIED SICK!” Katherine hollered, grabbing Saif by the collar.
“Calm down,” Saif smiled weakly at her. She blushed slightly at how close he was from her face, dropping him back.
“You broke the Sinnoh record,” Katherine said. “Two days…two days…and we had to use body fluids to feed you…”
“What?” Saif asked.
“And the nurses took turns to take you to the bathroom, you baby,” Katherine teased. Saif blushed heavily.
“Where’s Mark?” Saif asked suddenly, regaining some flexibility. “I have something important to tell you all.”
“Enough of your adventures, Saif,” Katherine said. “I’m beginning to get seriously worried!”
“This is serious, Katherine,” Saif replied, frowning slightly.
“…He’s getting you that lemon juice you crave…” She said, sighing.
“Awesome,” Saif responded, drooling slightly.
“Speak of the devil,” Alex said, once Mark appeared at the door, holding three soda cans, and a glass of lemon juice.
“Added salt?” Saif asked eagerly. Mark nodded, the very idea making him feel sour.
Saif, on the other hand, consumed half of it in a gulp. Everyone in the ward felt sick, except for Saif, who licked his lips, enjoying the sour taste.
“So what is the idea?” Mark asked seriously. Saif put his drink on a side table, and took a glance at Ielas, who was asleep in a ward bed on the other side of the room.
He turned back to them, and told them everything, including the unexplainable memory of Ielas begging and the surge of thoughts he got.
They were silent for a moment, before Mark said slowly, “Marked.”
“Hmm…they were after Lucian?” Katherine asked. “Could it be for his book?”
“Probably…but he called him a Thihan…a title or a name that came on his tongue more than once. Maybe the book isn’t as important--” Saif responded slowly. “I was reminded of that laboratory in the mobile island we ran into…same mention of HP.”
Alex frowned slightly, “That’s strange…a Festival seems like a random occurrence, doesn’t it?”
“Well…yeah,” Saif responded. “Maybe it was because Lucian’s presence…he did partially cause the S.S.Queen to sink, didn’t he?”
“Marked,” Mark repeated.
“What does this all mean?” Katherine scratched her hair with both her hands.
“Mark!” Mark said suddenly, as if finding the answer to everything.
Everyone turned to him with glaring eyes.
“Did you just remember your name or something?” Katherine asked coldly.
“Did you receive a physical mark, Saif?” Mark suddenly asked, giving only a passing glare at Katherine.
“Well…yes,” Saif said suddenly, pulling off his shirt. Katherine almost shouted at him, but then saw the black, twisted sharp-looking tornado mark on chest. It was small, above his stomach and under his ribcage.
“That’s the mark of Shadow, or Evil in ancient script,” Mark said confidently. “It also appeared for a second on Lucian’s fingers during the ‘counter spell’ the Channeler used in the festival, right? I saw something black, but I wasn’t close enough to confirm.”
“…Wow!” Katherine exclaimed. “Is that right, Saif?”
“Yes, I did see a symbol, but I wasn’t sure of its shape…but it definitely looked like a black tornado,” Saif said, smiling widely. “How’d you know that?”
“Ancient language classes,” Mark said, folding his arms proudly. “While you noobs were doing Advanced Breeding or another useless class in the Pre-master Pokémon Academies, I chose Ancient Language.”
“Amazing!” Katherine exclaimed again. “I didn’t expect that. Do you also know what Thihan means?”
“Of course,” Mark said, turning his eyes to Katherine, whose impression suddenly reddened Mark’s face. He froze for a second, before blushing. “I forgot…”
“Hehe…I didn’t know you were shy, Mark,” Alex smirked, before avoiding a flying slipper.
“Oh, but I remember what Dalm means,” Mark said, lifting a finger, and putting it to his lip, biting its nail. “It’s a suffix…It means superior…or master, or senior…one of those.”
“He called Lucian Thihan, but called me Thihan-Dalm? What does that mean?” Saif asked himself, biting his lip.
“Saif?” Lucian’s voice came from outside the room, before knocking the door.
“Speak of the devil!” Saif smiled widely. “Come in, Lucian.”
“I brought a few friends with me,” His face came by, wearing his glasses. He opened the door, and there were two people behind him. A long, beautiful blonde woman, wearing a tailcoat that looked a lot like Saif’s, her hip-long hair clipped back, and a middle-aged man, with a large, bushy white mustache, and white hair. “I want you to meet two of my comrades, Lady Cynthia, champion of Sinnoh, and Professor Rowan, a specialist of Pokémon.”
Saif straightened himself, as he saw the two figures. Cynthia smiled lightly, as Rowan absently gazed at Ielas with expert eyes, before they both lifted their hands in formal greeting, “Welcome to Sinnoh, Saif.”
Continued on next post.