Sunday, April 04, 2010

Pokémon: The Golden Apocalypse, Chapter Eighteen

Red began to throw dirt on coals, while the old man scattered the remaining fish about the clearing. Just as the last coals had been covered, the man reached Red. He picked up the wooden grill he had roasted the magikarp on, and handed it to the spearow, which took it in its talons.
"Take this with you, if you can. If it's too much, leave it. Fly quickly." The bird hopped off the man's shoulder, and began to fly haphazardly away, weighed down by its burden.
"Sir, what exactly is happening?" asked Red.
Rather than speak, the man looked up. Red followed his gaze. The sky was empty, and had just a hint of the brilliant hues of evening. The only odd thing about it, was the lack of birdsong in the air. Red tried to see what the man was looking at.
A moment passed.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared at the west end of the sky, and moved quickly forward to fill Red's view. Complete darkness fell over the clearing, and only the man's breathing told Red he was not alone. Two seconds passed in the shadow before the shadow gave way at the polar edges. Light trickled around some obstruction, and for another second, the clearing was faintly shown in a dusky haze. Then, the two lines of light met in the west, and quickly moved east revealing the light of day.
Red gasped as he realized a massive pokémon had just flown overhead, a pokémon so large that even its tail could block out most of the sun. He opened his mouth to ask what it was, but was instead nearly pulled over as the man tugged him to the crevice they had entered from. Despite his age, the man moved quickly, with the crazed stride of a creature terrified.
Though younger, Red tired faster, as his exertions from the day before left him drained. As he ran, his mind raced. What could that thing have been? Why are we running? Isn't it gone? Maybe if it finds us Nyoromo could- no. Not against that. Nyoromo couldn't- Where is Nyoromo?
Red spent a terrified second trying to recall where his poliwag had been in the clearing before he realized he held it in his arms. In his shock, he hadn't even realized he had picked it up. His relief gave him enough renewed energy to keep pace with the man until the mouth of the first canyon was in sight, with the Fallen Viridian beyond it. There was no sign of danger, and safety was in sight. Instead of slowing though, the man only ran faster, his staff swinging dangerously in his right hand. Red couldn't ask why, as all his breath was spent trying to catch up. Without any visible danger, though, Red lost the will to continue, and began to slow once more.
A cacophony of squawks burst out above him. Red looked up to see the largest flock of bird pokémon fleeing from the direction the behemoth had gone. The cliff walls were so high that most were contained in the same canyon Red ran through, and they quickly overtook him and reached the opening. They scattered in all directions over Viridian, leaving an ominous silence that gave Red the motivation to sprint once more.
Then he heard it. A rumbling in the distance joined with faint squeaks and growls and roars to produce a quiet, but ever-louder background to his pounding heart. He glanced back, and a faint dust cloud was brewing near the rear of the valley, kicked up by a thousand score of scurrying feet. Red gave everything he had, and ran until he reached the man's house, just as the old man did as well. He stood, panting, as the man turned to him.
"Kakuna... shell." he managed to get out. "Only room... for... one. Go south." He paused to wheeze. He waved his arm as he caught his breath. "Go. Most... can't climb." He slipped inside as Red tried to process what the man meant. He heard the faint whisper of a bolt being drawn. A voice drifted out from inside. "Good luck."
Red didn't waste a moment. He hurried to the forested cliffs of the south, glancing to the foothills of the Tojo mountains as he did so. The cloud was hurrying toward the opening, and reached it as Red passed the pond where he had entered Viridian. A herd of nidoran galloped out, accompanied by rattata and a screeching band of primates. These pokémon swung their bodies forward on their hands as much as they ran. Red recognized them from pictures he had seen in some of the few books in Pallet, but couldn't recall anything else about them in his panic. The beasts scattered as the birds had, and the forerunners of that arc headed straight towards the ruined city.
The wave broke on the first buildings as Red reached the cliffs.

15 comments:

Met said...

Now that is Chapter Eighteen :)

Reogan said...

Yes. Yes it is. At long last.

Elphaba said...

Yay, the Apocalypse didn't end! Whoo!

Reogan said...

It still has quite a ways to go. We've only reached Viridian.

Reogan said...

I'm starting to loathe that response.

Elphaba said...

But it's my reaction! It shows I'm happy!

Reogan said...

I'm sure the wasted exclamations share your joy.

Elphaba said...

Sorry about that, I had way too much coffee yesterday morning...

Reogan said...

Which makes it permissible to end a sentence with an ellipsis?

Elphaba said...

I never learned that there was anything wrong with it.

Reogan said...

Ellipses are really only made to be used to indicate the omission of words. Modern convention allows them to indicate a pause as well. In speech.

Elphaba said...

It replaced the rest of my explanation about the coffee overdose, which people should be able to figure out.

Reogan said...

There needs be no more explanation. They are unneeded.

Elphaba said...

Conceded.

Reogan said...

Grand.