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Black Rhapsody: Prelude

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Black Rhapsody: Prelude

Looming Shadows


The gray cloud choked sky seemed to shine behind the gravestone like buildings that filled the north, while the quiet slap of the winter sea echoed to the south. Below in the shadows of those same buildings people moved about going from one place to another, be it to work or to home or to some other place, they all moved with a near mechanical precision. It seemed… almost dreamlike, to see them moving about like nothing had ever happened, would ever happen…, all when my world was slowly falling apart…

“Hey, snap out of it already. We’ll need to be ready board.” Keegan said with a not so light smack to the back of my head. I turned to him while rubbing what might end up a lump, and looked at the ship next to us. Keegan had decided we had spent more than enough time in Unova and booked us passage just last night to… someplace? I realize I had never asked him where. Not that I cared… I hated to admit it, but I had almost given up the idea of ever finding Neku and Sugar…

Slowly though my eyes turned to the Pokemon about me. King and Theo were happily running from a rather ticked off Maxie. Stella and Cedric were taking radically different approaches to calm everyone down, both of which weren’t working at all, while Mikoto just laughed at the chaos. For whatever reason, Keegan had decided to keep Lock and Randal in their balls today, which felt… a bit odd to me. Maybe I had become too used to letting my own Pokemon run about? Either way, none of us had anything to do until the ship was readied to leave, which was looking like another hour at the least by the way the crew was rushing about.

I had just about resigned myself to the boring monotony and eventual fight prevention that the wait would force on me… until I caught something familiar out of the corner of my eye. I nearly jumped to my feet from the cold iron bench at the spark of hope, but controlled myself to slowly stand up instead.

“Something up?” Keegan asked, obviously confused as to why I hadn’t fallen back into a daydreaming stupor.

“Yeah, I just… um… realized I forgot something at the hotel. Yeah, I’ll be back soon.” I said, my eyes still locked onto the spot of movement.

(“Well, let’s go get it then. No sense in wasting time or we’ll miss the boat, right?”) Stella asked, glad that my actions had distracted the younger Pokemon long enough for them to stop messing around.

“No, you guys just stay with Keegan. I’d rather only one of us miss the boat if any of us do.” I said, hopping that would be a feasible excuse. I could almost feel the look Keegan was giving me. He had never trusted me when my thoughts were elsewhere, and ever since the incident he never wanted me alone.

Finally, after a few icy moments of silence he broke, “Just make it fast then, all right? No detours.” I nodded and mumbled something along the lines of “Sure, sure” and was off. I don’t know why I had hid my hope in whatever I had seen, but I had… I just hope I wouldn’t regret it later. Keegan watch him run off until he was just out of sight.

“Follow him.” was all Keegan said right before Randal and Lock floated up from behind the bench and silently slipped off in pursuit.


-meanwhile, at the G.S.C.M. ranch-


“Thank you again. Your help has mattered more than you know Miss Mirroroad.” Rose said with an exhausted sigh.

“It’s nothing. When I heard you were manning the ranch alone I had to come by and help. And please, for the last time, just call me Nell.” Nell said with a somewhat cold smile. The two had both been working and living at the ranch ever since Ken and Keegan had left in the middle of the night those months ago. Rose never got a clear answer why they had left but was sure it had something to do with those… things… that had attacked a while ago.

Of course, she hadn’t told Nell anything about the event, and who would have believed her anyway? Rose was still surprised to wake up each morning and remember that Ken had… died, and… come back to life? No, that wasn’t how he explained it…

Nell though just thought that Keegan had dragged Ken off on some big adventure to get over the disappearance of the missing Pokemon. It wasn’t unusual for Keegan to do something stupid for nicer reasons. That was why she had sent the two Maxie and Stella. She knew it was no way to make amends, but she had been holding on to Pokemon she rightfully didn’t own for far too long anyway…

The two had become close friends in their time working the mostly closed ranch. Nell had even been able to see through Rose’s little secret neat moments after meeting, and had made it a running joke to tease Rose about hooking her up with one of the boys.


The day was mostly over in terms of chores and the two women were resting in the kitchen with some self-made snacks. May hadn’t exactly been doing much cooking lately… in fact almost everyone on the ranch seemed just a bit… off. Like they were afraid of what might happen if they didn’t try to keep as low a profile as they possibly could. In fact, all of the bird Pokemon had actually left overnight, leaving only Tell who had refused to leave. It wasn’t until a week later that Professor Birch had found them all living not far from his laboratory. Rose had of course tried to get ahold of Ken, but as like every time before had failed. Birch was happy to watch them for the time being though, so it was no real problem, but it worried them all that they couldn’t get ahold of either of the boys.

“I’m worried…” Rose mumbled after some time. Nell turned to her with a kind look.

“You don’t need to worry about them. Those boys have each other. Keegan is stupid but knows how to act, and Ken might be smart but he’s a bit indecisive. They’ll be fine as long as they have each other.” Nell said as she brushed back a few of Rose’s stray hairs.

“That’s not what I’m worried about. I’m worried about… what’s going to happen next?” she sighed.

“I don’t know, but it’s always darkest before the dawn, right?” Nell started. Rose mumbled something about how dark it was, but then the phone rang for the first time in nearly a month. Rose jumped to her feet, almost knocking the seat underneath her to the floor.

“He… Hello?” she gasped into the receiver, not wanting to get her hopes up.  

“Hello? This is the Ryuken residence correct?” the other voice spoke, a slight crackle of static in the background.

“Yes… this is the Ryuken residence.” Rose said, trying not to sound as deflated as she felt.

“Oh, what a relief. I was worried when the phone people said your lines were down. I’ve tried calling for a couple months now with no response after all…” the voice went on.

“H-hold on… Can I ask who is calling?” Rose asked, wondering what he meant. The phones had worked fine for as long as she could recall.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I always forget to introduce myself… I am Professor Sycamore from the Kalos region. Professor Ryuken had posted an aid request at the last national Pokemon research and study community meeting and I think I might have the answer he needed.” the voice said, speaking with a tone that could not be anything else but sure of itself.

Rose was surprised at this of course, asking “He requested help? On what?”

“Why, on the possibility of forcing a purification of shadow Pokemon.” he said as if it was obvious. Rose’s eyes widened in surprise. All she could respond with was, “C-can I take a message…?”


-elsewhere-


Near the edge of the ranch two figures moved about in the shadows. The two whispered with each other fiercely as though in argument, but moved as though they knew this place like the back of their hands. Unseen to the naked eye, the barrier about the ranch shown in the same light it always had merely a few inches from the nearer, smaller figure. The smaller one snapped one last whispered comment at the larger figure, silencing the two of them… right before the smaller figure stepped over the threshold.

(“I GAVE YOUR WARNING!”) The smaller figure turned to sky, where the screams had come from and was given a single glimpse of huge pure wings before being thrown to the ground, a spear tip at his throat. He could feel the cold heat rushing off the spear, burning the shadows within him just for being so close. The spear moved slightly, and looking up, he saw that the larger figure’s sword was at their attacks neck, posed for a single killing thrust.

(“Shit, there were two of you… But the barrier didn’t activate… Wait…”) the figure started before silence gripped them all. The spear began to tremble in the attackers hands.

(“I… It… It can’t be…”) the attacker gasped. The larger figure slowly lowered the blade as the attacker stumbled back against a tree. He slumped against it, sliding to the ground in shock. The larger figure helped the smaller one to sitting position as the silence slowly grew.

The attacker began to sob quietly, (“I… I can’t believe it… I… I can’t believe it… Arcues, why am I crying? Why the fuck am I crying? Shit, since when do you cry when you’re happy?”)

The smaller figure stepped over to his former enemy and laid a paw on his knee, (“Hey, it’s all right. I’d probably do the same in your shoes.”)

(“Sh… Just shut up.”) the attacker said as he wrapped the figure in a hug.

(“Where… Where the hell have you guys been?”) he asked, after he let go.

(“Well… That’s kind of a long story… but I think we have some time.”) the Pikachu said as he turned to the Lopunny behind him.

(“Maybe just a little.”) Sugar smiled as Neku was dragged into another bear hug.

(“Maybe just a little...”)
Hello everyone! Sorry it's taken so long to continue this, but for whatever reason, I've not been able to do anything but write
today. Course, the college time crush might help or hinder that...

Anyway, everyone enjoy what I'm sure some of you waited for since the beginning of Cursed Night! No spoilers, but... the rest is reveled soon enough. ;P

And for reminders, Randal (Lampent), Lock (Klink), and Maxie (Sneasel) and Keegans.
Cedric (Snivy), Theo (Dwebble), Stella (Espeon), and King (Riolu) are mine.

Rose belongs to :iconhumanvulpix:
All characters belong to me.
Pokémon belongs to Nintendo
© 2013 - 2024 HumanPikachu
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pokediginut's avatar
Ahhh at last I've missed your work man :)

Could there really be an artificial way to curing the shadow serum . . .

Their back . . . . their okay . . . . Oh yes this just gave me an idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!