PW! - Getting to Know You
William Rendfeld
Contrary to the expectations of most outsiders, the region of Orre
was anything but a massive desert. True, most of the inner portions of
the region were mostly desert, the occasional oasis and rocky area
helping to break up the monotony, but towards its coastal regions were
lush areas of living greenery, wide grasslands and rolling hills. This
was especially true for the area outside of Gateon Port, and helped to
make Alex feel right at home.
Their surroundings did little to calm the talkative Murkrow upon
her shoulder, however. “As much as I appreciate your offer to have us
onboard, I’m still a bit leery about all this.”
The Lucario striding before them alongside his trainer turned back.
“<You find reason to find us suspicious?>”
“We haven’t exactly had the easiest of journeys.” Alex gave
ShadowWarrior a small glance, quietly telling him to relax.
The illusionist before them gave a small smile as he looked back.
“Given what I’ve read about you, I’d call that an understatement. A
swift loss in the first round of the Silver Conference, being chased
by mercenaries throughout Hoenn, what you went through at the Fortree
Doubles Tournament… after all that, I’d be a little paranoid myself.”
“And you know about our assorted misadventures how?”
“Google,” the two humans said at once.
The small bird waved his head back and forth, not finding much to
argue about with that explanation. “Fair enough. Now, who are the Aura
Guardians, and why is it that I’ve never heard of them?”
“You know what Aura is, yes?” At the Murkrow’s negative response,
Nicholas explained, “Aura is spiritual energy, the inner core of every
living entity. Those of us able to sense and manipulate it are known
as Aura Guardians. Long ago, we traveled the world, combating evil
wherever we found it and passing along our skills to those able to
learn the ways of our order. Today, however, we’re happy to keep out
of the spotlight. With more people in the world, it’s much harder to
find those who are sensitive to aura.”
“Which is why so few have heard of you.” The avian turned to his
trainer. “But how did you know about them?”
“There are a few Guardians who are talked about in trainer
communities – Ash Ketchum among them. Aside from that, my
grandmother’s parents knew an Aura Guardian in their youth – he was
Granddad’s best man at his wedding. He used to tell me stories about
their adventures together, but he never told me exactly what happened
to him.”
“Odds are he’s long dead by now, hopefully of old age.” The group
found their way to a clearing, and Nicholas happily announced, “Here
we are – home sweet home!”
Sitting before them in the clearing, partially shaded by a tall oak
tree, was the illusionist’s home and mode of transport, an old camper.
While self-driven and with enough room to carry his belongings and
equipment, to call it a recreational vehicle would be generous – there
was a great amount of wear and tear visible on its faded blue surface,
and while it was still travel-worthy, there was more than a little
reason for Alex to be somewhat uneasy as she looked upon it.
“Admittedly, it’s not exactly state of the art, but it’s in good
shape. All the necessities – oven, stove, refrigerator, working
plumbing and so on. No means to do laundry, but that’s what
Laundromats are for. And fortunately, two separate beds and plenty of
cargo space.” He turned to the young woman. “Well?”
“Well, it is roomy. Mind letting me inside so I can get a look at
your food stores?”
Nicholas acquiesced, pulling out a set of keys and unlocking a door
for her. Alex entered, quickly taking in what she could. On her far
right was the camper’s cab, two swiveling seats for the driver and one
passenger sitting before her, seatbelts easily visible. To her
immediate right was a small kitchen sink and electrical stove,
cabinets overhead and a refrigerator below the sink. To her immediate
left was a small shower, equipped with a small sink, shower and
toilet. The rest of the space was devoted to comfort – a small bed was
nestled in the back, a small booth with two seats and a table present
immediately before the door. The table looked to be a folding one,
suggesting the seats could convert into another bed. All the comforts
of home, but not quite as much space as she was used to.
“Truthfully, I prefer taking advantage of the facilities in a
Pokémon Center whenever possible, but I do try to take care of this
place.” Nicholas stepped up behind her. “I hope it isn’t too cramped –
I’m lucky I can move Lancelot and everyone into Poké Balls, otherwise
I’d have no room at all.”
Alex gave a reassuring smile. “I can adjust easily enough.” She set
down her bag, glad that she normally traveled light, and took a seat.
“So, care to explain how you ended up a traveling illusionist, and
what you’re doing here in Orre?”
“It’s something of a long story.” The young man took off his hat
and slipped of his gloves, setting his staff aside before hand, then
sat across from her. “I’m an orphan, in more ways than one. My
earliest memories were of an orphanage in Goldenrod City – I lived
there until I was adopted by a widower, Sylvester Pendrake. He raised
me as his own son, taught me everything he knew about magic and,
eventually, the ways of Aura.” A sad smile crossed his face. “I may
not have been his biological son, but he loved me like I was one. He
never struck me in anger, never yelled at me, always encouraged, and
always tried to make me laugh.”
“Sounds like a good man. You have every right to miss him.” The
young man looked at her, and she gave her own sad smile in response.
“I know the face of someone who’s lost a loved one.”
“Well, my father’s passing was only slightly less than that of your
father.” He sank back into his seat. “My father was on stage,
performing. Suddenly, he started to convulse, and the next thing I
knew, he had a heart attack. That was about two years ago.” He glanced
around. “He left me everything he had – this, his equipment, the few
Pokémon he’d trained to assist him in both his professions. It’s been
enough to keep me going, but…well, you know how it goes.”
“<We all still miss him,>” Lancelot admitted. “<Sylvester was a
good man, and skilled in the ways of Aura. Nicholas could not have had
a better teacher, or a better father.>”
“Unfortunately, he died before my training was finished. I can
sense objects with aura, communicate with it and so on, but actual
projection is still difficult. I can barely create small shields, and
that’s with the amplifier crystals in my gloves – without them, well,
I’m lucky I’m skinny.” He straightened up. “Still, I’ve made do, tried
to carry on where I could.”
“Can’t you find another teacher?” ShadowWarrior hopped down from
his trainer’s shoulder. “I mean, there are other Aura Guardians.”
“Yes, but we don’t exactly have a newsletter or a mailing list.
We’ve always been very decentralized, and seeing as we live on a
planet populated by over six billion people and our order doesn’t
advertise, I wouldn’t have an easy time finding the real thing.”
“Not so easy for the apprentice to find a new master then.” The
young woman tapped a finger on the table. “That doesn’t answer what
you’re up to in Orre.”
“I assume you’ve heard of Shadow Pokémon?” At Alex’s nod, the
guardian elaborated, “The organization we have to thank for their
creation, Team Cipher, is primarily based here in Orre. There were two
previous efforts by that organization involving Shadow Pokémon, and
given what happened at the Fortree Doubles Tournament, I’m willing to
bet someone’s hoping that the third time is the charm. I assume that’s
why you’re here as well.”
“Sort of.” Alex pulled a Poké Ball from her belt. “This was the
prize for the tournament – a Shadow Pokémon. His name is Rush, and he
belongs to a friend of mine who’s been missing.”
“Smasher. I remember. You’re here to try and purify him.”
“He’s still missing, and my friends are looking for him as we
speak. I want to make sure that when Smasher’s found, he gets his team
back safe and sound. All the others are safe and accounted for, but
Rush is still a Shadow Pokémon, and I want that to change by the time
I head back for Hoenn.”
“Then it sounds like us meeting was more than just an interesting
turn of events. We might just need each other’s help.” He leaned
forward. “So, what’s our first step?”
“Information’s power, and the leading experts on Shadow Pokémon are
here in Orre, based at a lab run by a Professor Krane. They’re due
northeast of here. I say we head there, see what they can recommend.”
Nicholas nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me. So, let’s…”
Alex raised a hand. “Before we go anywhere, however, I need to
check your inventory. Given my dietary requirements, I doubt you’ll
have enough to keep me fit.” She rose from the table, then began
checking through the cabinets. “You don’t have much space in your
fridge, so we’re going to have to stick with non-perishables. That
means canned goods, and lots of them. Thankfully, you can cook up
miracles with a can of soup and some chicken.” Closing the last
cabinet, she glanced at the stove. “Hopefully, there isn’t much of a
learning curve with this stove.”
Nicholas sat surprised. “Wait, what?”
Alex sighed. “Sorry, it’s just…I’m not just traveling with you, I’m
sharing your home. I feel like I need to contribute, and seeing as I
know next to nothing about the upkeep of a mobile home, I figure
cooking and cleaning and laundry is about all I can help with.”
The young man’s eyes widened. “That’s why you’re saying all that,
because you want to contribute?” Amazement grew on his face. “Wow. I
didn’t expect that. I mean, I thought…you know, you being well-off…”
Alex crossed her arms and gave a smirk. “Sorry to disappoint, but
not all us rich kids rely on servants. My mother expected me to clean
my own room at least twice a month and help clean everything else. I
didn’t always do my own laundry, but I helped my sister out on
occasion when she was on her training journey. As for the cooking,
well…your father isn’t the only one that passed on some skills.” She
slipped off her gauntlets and opened her bag, taking out a few
assorted lists, a pen, and a blank sheet of paper. “Now, assuming I
can still get in and you don’t mind me paying, we need to take a trip
to the local markets.”
Nicholas gave a small glance to the Lucario at his side, who gave a
thoughtful semi-shrug. “Well, I don’t mind. Igraine certainly won’t
have a problem with the help.” He got back to his feet. “And
fortunately for you, there’s more than one shop in town that sells
food. A few minutes back into town, and we should have everything you
need.” He slipped his gloves back on, then moved to retrieve his hat.
“Igraine and Guinevere are still moving things back and forth, but I
doubt they’ll mind having you around.”
“And I don’t think anyone on my team will mind you or them. Battle-
hardened they may be, but my team’s always on good behavior.”
Finishing her list, she quickly put away her nutritional guidelines
and pocketed her pen and paper. “By the way, how’s your team so far as
battling is concerned?”
The young man suddenly grimaced. “Officially, what happened there
with the sailors? That’s the first battle I’ve taken part in.”
Now it was Alex’s turn to be surprised. “Really.” She finished
slipping her gauntlets on, then smiled. “Strong you are with Aura,
young Padawan, but much to learn in the way of the trainer, you have.”
At the young man’s confused expression, she raised an eyebrow. “Yoda?
Star Wars?”
“Aside from the occasional snippet of news at a Pokémon Center, I
don’t watch much television.”
“Huh.” As he led her out, their Pokémon following, Alex noted, “I’m
not sure whether to envy you or feel sorry for you. But my point still
stands – you have much to learn. And fortunately, you’ve just found
yourself a halfway decent teacher.”
TBC!