Opal's Story - Chapter 5
#5 of Sara's Story
The next day Sara woke me up while she was getting ready for school. We ate breakfast and played for a little until it was time for Sara to go. I walked with her to the gate, and before she left she knelt down and patted my head. "I've got something for you, Opal! Since yesterday was a 'real' trainer battle Flen said that the looser owed money to the winner. Flen's Pokemon were on both sides so he came out tied, and since Perry lost, they said you and I were the winners! You should have seen John's face when he heard that, he was so angry! So since we were the 'winner' Perry gave me some money! I didn't want to take it, but they both said you earned it, so I took it and got you..." Sara reached into her backpack and pulled out a white band. "This! See? It's a collar, so you can go around town without people thinking you might be a wild Pokemon." Sara flipped the collar around, showing a metal tag. "It's got your name on it and mine, and our address, so if something happens to you somebody will know where your home is and help you get back to it. And here's the best part!" Sara reached back into her bag, pulling out a small ball with a clip on it. "It also got this piece... which goes here..." As she talked Sara snapped the clip onto the collar, causing the ball to jingle the same way Clara's had. "See? Flen told me you liked Clara's, so I got you one just like it!"
I looked at the collar thinking it looked like it would be too tight, but decided not to complain, instead being grateful for the gift- it really was nice, and the thought of having one from Sara made me happy. "I love it, it's pretty!" Sara snapped the collar open and put it around my neck. Despite my concern it fit comfortably and even a little loose. I gave Sara a lick on her nose in thanks and she smiled and gave me another pat on the head, before standing back up. "Now, Clara showed you the way to the gym yesterday; do you think you'll be able to get there okay on your own?"
I thought for a minute and nodded. "Uh-huh!"
Sara nodded. "Good! Clara's going to be waiting for you, so head straight there, or she'll go looking for you! I have to go to school now but I'll see you afterwards, okay? Have fun!" She reached down and rubbed my head one last time before starting down the sidewalk.
"You too Sara!" I wagged my tail as she turned and walked off down the path, then sat down once she was out of sight. The bell jingled from around my neck as I moved and I smiled at the sound. It reminded me of Clara, but I knew that now I'd think about Sara every time I heard it, too. The bell's sound hung in the air, its last echoes still in my ears after the ring faded. I listened and savored the sound with my eyes closed, then rose and headed down the sidewalk towards the gym.
I knew from yesterday to stay out of the street and just to walk along the sidewalk- every so often a car would drive by in the street, and I suspected it wouldn't be fun to run into one of the speeding vehicles. The walk was nice even alone- the sound of the bell was still new and interesting, but every so often a person would walk by as well. At first they would seem surprised to see me, but when they saw my collar they just smiled and went on their way. Finally I stood before the doors to the gym, suddenly nervous about going in for reasons I couldn't quite pin down.
While I stood there thinking it over the double doors slid open and something orange shot out at me, knocking me over and pinning me to the ground. "Lithe!" Looking up I saw John's Growlithe wagging his tail happily. "Hey, Opal! Looks like I got you this time, huh?"
I blinked and wagged my tail back at him. "Hi Growlithe! You seem better; I told you you'd get me once you were." My back was starting to hurt, but I was glad the other Pokemon was feeling happier- he had seemed so miserable and hurt the last time I saw him, so I didn't mind a little discomfort if it meant he was happy.
Okay, so I minded a little. "Can I get up though? I'm supposed to meet up with Clara, and she'll be expecting..." I broke off as the Growlithe hopped off of me, and I saw Clara sitting in the open doorway smiling at me.
"Good morning, Opal! I see you're already practicing, but you should really come in first. Flen's spent a lot of time and money taking care of a gym we can practice inside of; it'd be rude to spend all day training right outside of it..." Her 'voice' had a sing-song quality to it, letting me know she wasn't being serious.
Growlithe hopped through the doors into the gym and I climbed back to my feet. "Sorry, and good morning, Clara!" I hopped through the doorway into the gym, pausing just inside to watch the doors slide closed behind me. "Is John here with Growlithe? He seems a lot better than before."
Clara started walking towards the gym floor. "No, he had to go to school just like Sara. Growlithe is better now though, so he's able to come during the day now. He was pretty sick; I don't think John was taking very good care of him. He was at the PokeCenter all day yesterday and the nurses still want him to take it a little easy, so he shouldn't be doing much more than watching us today."
"What about pouncing unsuspecting Eevees?" I smiled and Clara laughed.
"Taking it easy doesn't mean the same thing to a Growlithe as it does to a nurse. He'll be fine. How about you? You seemed pretty worn out last night."
"I guess I was. I was pretty exhausted when I finally woke up, and I think I was hearing things. I tried practicing the Helping Hand move, and it seemed like it worked- I felt a little light headed like I did with Skarmory, but then it just stopped all of a sudden. I thought it was weird that the move still worked even though nobody was around to use it with."
Clara paused and half turned to look at me. "Oh? That's strange... Helping Hand can't work at all if you don't have another Pokemon with you. It'd be like tackling nothing; you just can't do it. Were you near a window? There might have been a Caterpie or a Noctowl outside that you didn't know about. It usually takes a lot of practice with somebody before you can do it without even knowing where they're at- Flen had me practice with Steelix while he was underground digging and it's a real pain- but maybe something weird happened. That might be why it stopped suddenly, too; you just got lucky in the first place?"
"Maybe that was it... I'm not really sure anymore if I was by a window or not, but that could explain it."
Clara started to turn back around, but stopped suddenly and looked back at me. "What's that?"
I followed her gaze and looked down at my new collar. "Oh! Sara gave this to me this morning. She said she got some money from our fight yesterday!"
Clara's looked slightly aggravated. "I still don't think that was fair. Flen wouldn't have won money no matter how the battle went since he was on both sides... but I guess it doesn't hurt to give Sara some help." Clara walked up and examined the collar, her expression softening again as she looked it over. "It is pretty though; the color suits you."
I sat up and smiled, and the soothe bell jingled a little. "Thanks!"
"Okay, time to head in- Shells is waiting inside for you." Clara grinned and started walking off, the sound of her soothe bell seeming somehow louder. I grimaced at the thought of Shells waiting for me. No good could come from that... but I followed after Clara anyways.
Growlithe was already running through to the main gym area with his tail wagging behind him. We had gotten halfway to the second set of doors when Clara suddenly stopped mid-stride and turned to face behind me. I stopped and looked back, seeing nothing but the doors we had just come through. "Clara? What is it?"
Clara didn't answer, instead staring blankly out the door. After a minute I went up to her and nudged her. She jerked in surprise and looked at me, her eyes a little out of focus. "Um... sorry, something's not... Opal, you go ahead; I need to check on something with Flen."
Clara started walking back outside, and I think she started running as the doors closed. I was about to go after her when the doors behind me opened and Shells jogged through towards me, Feren following behind him and grinning. "What are you doing out here, slacker? You're never going to get anywhere if you just sit around, looking outside! Now get in there and start running?"
"But-"
"RUN!" Shells leaned over and into my face and yelled. I slinked to the ground, ears drooping, and ran through the doors into the gym. I looked behind me and sure enough, Shells and Feren were running behind me. I kept running and sighed inside, getting the feeling this was going to be a constant thing with Shells. As we ran around I noticed Growlithe sitting in the center of the field and talking with Perry's Meowth. I wasn't sure what they were talking about- it's hard to listen to people while you're running around in circles.
After the eighteen or nineteen lap Shells finally stopped chasing me and walked towards the middle of the field. I slowed down but realized I wasn't nearly as tired as I had been the day before. I brightened a little and jogged another lap, though at a much slower pace, Feren picking up his pace to run along beside me, flashing me a grin as he did. I realized the rabbit had been holding back the whole time to stick with Shells. Shells stopped stretching and sat down to watch as we kept running, and said a few things to Growlithe and Felix, though I still couldn't make out what they said. I finished the last lap and walked to the center of the field, collapsing on the ground next to them. "Hi!"
Felix stared at me for a moment, not even blinking, then closed his eyes and yawned. Growlithe looked from me to Felix, looking a little surprised, but Shells just laughed. "Good job Opal; you did pretty well just then. Tired?"
I nodded. "Yeah, but not as worn out as I felt yesterday. You?"
Shells just laughed harder but otherwise didn't answer, instead going back to stretching in place. Growlithe shook his head before turning to look at Feren. "So... um... Shells said you battled yesterday?"
The Nidorino didn't even nod, instead just stretching out on the ground. "It was close."
Shells bent over and touched his toes. "It was. I got lucky; it could have easily gone the other way. Opal saw it."
I thought back to their fight and nodded. "They were both really tough, and amazing to watch in action! Perry and Todd both knew exactly what to do though; they seemed to both have the whole match planned out from the beginning. Have you two fought like that before?"
"Of course."
Shells stopped stretching and sat down on the ground. "They may not seem like it at first glance, but Perry, Todd, and Flen are each close friends. I'm Perry's first Pokemon, just like Feren is Todd's first Pokemon, and Clara was Flen's; they became trainers together, and while they traveled we would battle together and get stronger." Feren shot Shells an annoyed look but the Wartortle ignored him. "Perry and Todd are pretty even- Perry might be ahead after yesterday, but Todd will probably end up winning the next battle. It usually goes that way, although every now and then one of us will win a few in a row. That's why we both train so much- neither one of us wants to be the one to let our trainer down."
Growlithe looked back at Shells. "Why? What do they do to you if you do?"
Feren narrowed his eyes and looked at the Growlithe, his ears rising above his head. "Do? What do you mean, 'do'?"
I suddenly felt intimidated by Feren and slinked back a little, even though he was looking at Growlithe and not me. Growlithe didn't seem to even notice the change, still looking at Shells. "Well, you know, like... I don't know; keep you in your Pokeball for a few days, or skip a meal, or take a toy away?"
Shells growled and began walking towards the bleachers, and I realized the trainers were seated in a group talking on the stands- Shells was walking over to Perry.
Feren wasn't done talking and I realized he was angry- Felix was looking up at him in surprise and seemed about as nervous as I was feeling. "Our trainers don't do things like that to us just because we aren't what they expect us to be. Sometimes we stay in the PokeBall for a while, and yes, there have been some times where food was short and we and our trainers went hungry, but we didn't go through that because our trainers are mad at us; it's because for some reason they have no choice but to. Todd would never do something like that just to scare us into doing better. The reason we don't want to let them down is because we're proud of them, and of ourselves." Feren's eyes narrowed and he leaned towards Growlithe. "Why? Does your trainer do things like that?"
Growlithe flinched, seeming to finally realize the change in Feren and Shells' attitude. "Some...sometimes... but it's just his way of training me, making me stronger."
Feren snorted and started to walk to the bleachers after Shells, but then stopped and looked back at me. "What about you, Opal? Does Sara do things like that to train you?"
I shook my head. "No, she..." I stopped, suddenly realizing I didn't really know what Sara did to train me. "She's never done anything like that. I've only even been in the Pokeball a few times, and usually because somebody else told her I had to be. I guess... I'm not really sure what she does for training other than coming to the gym. So far we've really just played fetch, and watched matches on television, and..."
I stopped as Feren turned around and started walking back towards the stands. I stood up and took a step towards him, suddenly worried I had said something wrong. "Sara's not a bad trainer!"
Feren's ears rose up and he stopped, half turning back towards me, his expression serious, and he spoke slowly. "How would you even know?"
I was suddenly unsure, and I sat down in surprise... and the bell on my collar jingled with my movements, the sound of giving me confidence in Sara. "I just do. I've only known her for a few days, but I know she's a great trainer." I flashed through all my memories of her- from first meeting her, to when she held me after I fought with Skarmory, to the collar she had given me just this morning. "She takes care of me, and makes me happy... and I'll make sure she's safe; I won't let you get her in trouble." I stood up and took a step towards Feren, my ears flattening as I moved towards him.
Feren's ears rose all the way up as he turned to fully face me, spines glittering in the gym's light. He laughed a little, a low, angry sound that scared me. "And... just how do you think you're going to do that, Opal?"
I answered by charging towards him, moving into the steps of a Tackle. I lowered my head for the last few steps, and...
I completely missed him. I skidded to a stop and turned back to face him, but he was already charging at me in response. I didn't have time to dodge but I managed to brace myself, slinking low to the ground. Feren hit me with his horn, a sharp pain in my left foreleg that hurt, but I held my ground against the attack. I concentrated on appearing fierce, and growled at Feren, an instinctive reaction. It surprised me a little, because it seemed to startle the Nidorino, who backed up a step. I vaguely was aware of things happening beyond the two of us- somebody was shouting, and I heard Shells telling me to duck, to run, but I ignored it and kept my attention focused Feren. He was too close to dodge this time, so I ran towards him in another Tackle. This time it connected and I heard a crunch as I hit him in the side. I felt a sharp pain in my forehead as I hit, and as I hopped away I heard something snap. I tried to back up a step, but the world tilted and changed colors, and I staggered.
Feren laughed, another dark sound. "Poison Point. You really should be more careful about what you run into; it might hurt you more than you hurt it." Feren took a step towards me but stumbled. "Though... that hurt quite a bit." The Nidorino's ears fell back and he glared at me. "You're pretty strong for such a young Eevee. Maybe you've been getting better training than you thought."
I tried to glare at him but it was too hard to focus. As I watched him the Nidorino was turning blue, then black, and then yellow, with the rest of the world shifting colors as well. My head started to pound, and I collapsed to the ground.
I tried getting back up, but as I rose the world tilted again and I fell back to the ground with a thud. Feren glared down at me, and I heard the sound of others around me... but before I could do anything else the world faded away.
Absol collapsed inside the cave, physically unable to move another step. He looked behind him just as the Houndoom leaped into the air... then pain shot through him as the fiery hound bit into his shoulder and gashed his side.
Absol swung his head forward, trying to impale the Houndoom with the blade on his head, but the creature was too quick and managed to jump out of the way. Something hit Absol on the back of his head, stunning him, and he saw the Honchkrow fly past him and out the cave. It must have beaten Absol here and just been waiting.
The Houndoom came towards him again, but slower this time, wary of the sharp blade. Absol tried to spear him with it, but he was still just too slow, and the Houndoom dodged aside it to crunch down on the Absol's back, leaving gashes in the wounded Pokemon's skin.
The Absol's vision faded as he blacked out, his body reaching its limits after the long run and savage attacks. His last sad thought was that he wouldn't be able to warn Flen, and that the disaster would hit Jyrrian City after all, before his world faded into a sea of darkness...
...so he didn't see the boulder, glowing purple, fly into the Houndoom and hurl it out of the cave. Flen ran to the Absol's side, already reaching for a potion, while Clara took up a position at the entrance, creating a psychic barrier against the attackers.
When I woke up my head was pounding. I was lying on a bench in the locker room, a warm towel folded up underneath me. Todd was sitting next to me, idly tossing a Pokeball up and down in the air. I sat up slowly and turned to Todd, wondering what Feren had told him.
Todd caught the Pokeball again and put it in a backpack that was sitting on the bench. He pulled out a spray can like the one I had seen Sara use on Growlithe, and pointed it at me. "Hold still." There was a hissing noise, and a mist poured out of the can into the air around me. Immediately my head felt better, and I wagged my tail in thanks.
Todd tossed the empty can into a trashcan and leaned back a little. "It's not often another trainer's Pokemon picks a fight with one of mine all on their own. Especially one as inexperienced as you; it should have been obvious you didn't stand a chance against Feren. All of us were surprised to see the two of you fighting- even Shells doesn't just up and attack Feren, and those two have a long history of rivalry." He looked at me, staring straight into my eyes. "This is just not something the Pokemon of trainers do."
I dropped my ears, having a feeling I knew where this was headed- somehow this was going to come back to Sara being a bad trainer.
"Feren told me why he thinks you attacked him, but I've found from past experience that he doesn't understand or deal with Eevees all that well. Back before Flen settled down to become a gym leader, Clara and Feren would get into some pretty memorable arguments, and she still is a little cold towards him. I want to be very sure on this, though, so I'm asking you too. Opal, did you attack my Pokemon because you thought he was going to hurt Sara?"
I wasn't sure what the right thing to say to that was. I already felt I had gotten Sara into enough trouble, and the last thing I wanted to do was make it worse.
Todd looked at me and his expression hardened. "Be honest."
I looked down and nodded, wishing I was just back in Sara's room and that this whole day hadn't happened.
Todd stood up. "That's what Feren thought, too. Sara will be here for you later; you should wait here until then. We need to have a talk with Flen, from the looks of things."
Todd picked up his backpack and made an odd whistling noise, then left, shutting the door behind him. I heard a bubbling noise from the pool, and looked to find the Clamperl had opened up its shell and was watching me. I stretched out on the towel and rested my head on my paws, letting out a soft whine in frustration. I listened to the sound of the water in the pond, wondering what exactly Feren had told Todd, or how Sara could possibly be a bad trainer. Everything seemed fine to me- I liked Sara, and I could tell she liked me. I knew she wouldn't treat me the way John treated Growlithe or do anything that might hurt me. She liked playing with me, just like I did with her. She didn't make me run around in circles like Shells did, but I didn't think that made her a bad trainer. To be fair I didn't know for sure what made a good trainer, but as the bell jingled from beneath my neck, I was sure she wasn't a bad one.
After a few minutes I heard the sound of footsteps outside, and raised my head to see Shells walk in. He waved to the Clamperl before hopping up next to me on the bench. For a while the Wartortle just sat next to me without saying anything, but eventually he reached down and poked me. "You okay?"
I nodded. "I'm fine... but... I messed up, didn't I?"
Shells shrugged. "I don't know. Nobody does at this point; nothing like this has really happened at the gym before. Nobody can figure out where Flen or Clara have gone, either, and Todd isn't talking to anybody about anything; he just put Feren back in the Pokeball and brought you to this room. All he'll say is he needs to talk to Clara and Flen about something first. Perry got really upset about what Growlithe said about John, and went to call his parents. I guess... everybody's just surprised at Feren, and at how well you managed. Why'd he attack you like that?"
I sat up and blinked. He thought... that Feren had attacked me? "He didn't... I attacked him. He was just defending himself." I drooped, trying to hide in the towel I was lying on.
Shells looked down at me in surprise. "You? Picked a fight with Feren?" I didn't answer but felt my ears droop a little more. Shells looked back ahead and chuckled. "That was stupid of you."
"I don't know... I guess it was. I was sure that I had said something, and that he was going to get her in trouble, but... I've just put Sara in more trouble, haven't I?"
Shells nudged me again and I looked back up at him. "Will you stop acting so miserable? Sara's not in any trouble."
I stared at Shells blankly. "What do you mean? You just said the whole gym is upset at what I did. And Feren was going to get her in trouble to begin with; I couldn't stop him, and I've just gone and made it worse. You don't even know what I told Feren about Sara. I don't even know what I said about Sara."
Shells shook his head. "I don't know what you said either, but I know it won't get Sara in trouble. Nothing you could have said would get her in trouble. Flen's been keeping a close eye on you and Sara, and the whole gym knows it- every time you see Clara she checks up on you. She's a strong psychic and can do that kind of thing without you even knowing it. If Sara was doing anything wrong, Flen would already have said something to her and straightened it out. Feren's just... he's abrupt and a bit of a jerk, and he doesn't like wasting time; he's like Todd in that way. He and Clara got into so many fights way back when. Whatever you said probably just confirmed Sara was doing a good job, so he just wasn't interested anymore, and went to tell Todd about John. Nobody's been watching John, so we both knew we had to tell somebody how Growlithe was acting. Pokemon shouldn't get to the point where they expect that kind of treatment as part of 'training' or 'toughening up'. And... don't worry about Sara being in trouble because of your fight. Feren was a little hurt, but everybody was mainly upset because they thought he had attacked you. I'll let Perry know, and that'll be that."
"Even... even though I attacked another trainer's Pokemon? I thought we weren't supposed to do that, unless our trainer told us to? Todd said..."
Shells interrupted me. "Don't worry about what Todd said. I mean, yes, you shouldn't just go around attacking whatever you feel like; it will come back on Sara if you act like that... but... Listen to this, Opal; these two things I'm about to tell you are probably the most important things you'll learn at this gym, more than any move or special ability." Shells leaned in, and I concentrated on him completely.
"Todd isn't your trainer, Opal, he's Feren's. He can tell Feren what to do, or how to behave, or what not to do... but he can't tell you what to do. Perry can't tell you what to do, I can't tell you what to do, not even Flen or Clara can tell you what to do. Only Sara has that right, because only she's your trainer. Remember that while you're training here. The only reason we can teach you anything, anything at all, is because she's said it was okay for you to learn here. Everything you've learned has come because Sara came to us for help. If something somebody here tells you goes against what Sara told you, always listen to what Sara says. She might be new at being a trainer, but she's smart enough to know to get a lot of good trainers to help her- she's learning fast, and she won't mess up with you."
"And number two- Sara won't have a problem, and nobody at this gym will ever, ever have a problem with anything you do to protect your trainer. That's something every Pokemon and trainer at this gym knows- that good trainers know to look out for their Pokemon, and that good Pokemon look out for their trainers. A good Pokemon will do anything to keep their trainer safe- so nobody is going to get Sara in trouble for what you did. Feren probably isn't even mad at you anymore. Just... just keep in mind that even though you thought you were protecting Sara, she wasn't in any actual danger this time. Do whatever you have to in order to protect your trainer... but next time make sure she needs protecting first, okay?" Shells poked me on the nose and grinned, and I tried not to laugh at him. I felt a lot better- I still felt like I messed up, but what Shells told me seemed right. In a way I felt like I already knew that- when I went after Feren I hadn't stopped to think if it would get Sara in more trouble; it was just more important that I do something to help her.
"Sara might not know this yet, but it's obvious you do. You're becoming a great Pokemon- which means Sara is a great trainer. You just went head to head with a Pokemon with years more experience because you thought Sara was worth it and deserved your protection. A bad trainer just doesn't get that kind of reaction from a Pokemon. Even if Feren had found some flaw with Sara, once I tell Perry how you responded it won't matter, not anymore. Flen will know for sure that Sara's training you right- you wouldn't have cared enough to attack Feren if she wasn't. Do you know what Growlithe did, while I went to get John in the same trouble you were afraid Sara was going to be in?"
I shook my head. "No, I was... kind of busy."
Shells chuckled at that. "Yeah, I guess you were." Then his expression hardened. "But Growlithe wasn't. He was just sitting in the center of the field, laughing, while the two of you fought. I think he wants John to get in trouble, to be hurt, and that's not something a Pokemon should ever want of their trainer. Everybody who noticed what he was doing got angry, and it just proves what I told Perry- John is not treating that puppy right."
"Oh." I let that sink in, and we sat in silence for a few minutes, before I realized there was a question I wanted to ask. "Shells... what was Clara like? You said she fought a lot with Feren, but what was she like as an Eevee?"
Shells leaned back, and I could tell he was remembering things. "Well... she was very different when we first met her. You'd think she was a different Pokemon, almost. She was... I guess uncertain would be the best word? Nervous? She always followed somebody around. It was like she was scared we would vanish if we got out of her sight, or maybe that Flen wouldn't want to come back for just her. She was very quiet around all of us for the longest time... Feren couldn't stand her. He wanted his own space, and Clara wanted to be absolutely sure somebody was there. I don't know exactly what happened, but they were left alone for a bit while Flen and Todd went to buy some things from the store; they got into a small fight, and Feren told her something along the lines of 'grow up and leave him alone'. She left him alone after that, even though we could tell she still really didn't want to be by herself. Feren regretted it and tried to make it up to her, but she was too scared of him after that, and Flen ended up keeping her with him all the time."
Shells straightened up, smiling. "But that was a long time ago. Flen was a really good trainer, even way back then when he was learning everything, and he took really good care of her. Eventually I think she realized she could trust Flen to always be there for her, and it made her want to make him happy in return. She evolved into an Espeon, obviously, and kicked off a whole new round of fighting between herself and Feren. Nobody ever got hurt, but they were constantly squabbling about something; they went out of their way to annoy each other. They can still be a bit of a jerk towards each other, but mostly it's just amusing now."
I thought over what Shells said, trying to imagine Clara ever being a scared Eevee, and failing. The Espeon I knew just seemed too confident and sure of herself for me to believe she had ever been like that. Finally Shells stretched and hopped off the bench. "I'm going to go talk with Perry now. I know I just told you nobody but Sara can tell you what to do, but... it'd be a good idea to stay here for now, just until things are straightened out. Todd knows from Feren what happened, but Todd's being Todd and not talking to anybody else, so people could be thinking anything right now. Sara should be on her way here now, since school has let out, so it shouldn't be too much longer, okay? Just wait here for her."
Shells looked like he was about to say more but he was interrupted. "Shells, Perry needs you. Flen just called the gym, and he wants us all to meet him at Absol's cave." Felix appeared in the doorway, balancing on one foot.
Shells sucked in a breath. "Absol's back?"
Felix nodded as Shells hopped to the floor. I sat up at the bench and started after them. "Who's Absol?"
Shells paused and looked back at me. "Absol is one of Flen's more... unique Pokemon. He's able to sense disasters, serious ones, so Flen lets him wander around and warn trainers of problems when he can. If he came back here, it probably means something bad is going to happen here." Shells looked back at Felix. "Did Flen say what to do with Opal and Growlithe?"
Felix nodded. "Tammy's going to stay behind to lock down the gym. She'll take care of them until school finishes, then finish locking everything up."
"Okay. Opal, try and stay close to Tammy until Sara shows up. If Absol is here because something bad is happening, she'll be able to keep an eye out for you." Shells started off in a sprint and Felix followed along beside. "Come on, let's go."
I followed after them to find the arena empty. Only Tammy and Perry stood in the center, and Perry called his Pokemon back to their PokeBalls as soon as they reached him. Growlithe sat on the bleachers and watched as I ran over to Tammy. "Hi again, Opal. Sara and John should be here in about half an hour, and I'm going to lock up what I can until then. Come on, let's go."
Tammy went from room to room, latching windows shut and locking back doors. Growlithe and I followed along and tried not to get in the way. I felt pretty useless, but I enjoyed the jogging back and forth. Finally we heard the sound of the front doors sliding open and John calling out. "Hello? Is anybody here?" A few seconds passed until I heard Sara. "Opal, are you here?"
I ran from the side room we were in back to the arena, finding the two of them looking around in confusion. I barked at them and ran to Sara, who reached down and picked me up. "Hi Opal! Where is everybody?"
"Tammy's this way, she can explain for you." Even that seemed to be too much for Sara to understand, and she looked at me in confusion. I hopped back to the ground and headed towards the office, pausing on the way there to make sure they were following me.
"I guess he wants us to follow him." John started walking after me, and Sara followed after.
Tammy paused from latching the windows to greet Sara and John, then started explaining everything to them. "We haven't heard anything more from Flen, but we're assuming something bad is about to happen, just in case. The gym's closing down, probably for a few days just to be safe, so you need to go straight home. Keep your Pokemon with you just in case something happens; we'll call you if anything comes up or changes." Tammy pushed down on the latch until it clicked. "Oh, I almost forgot- John, I need to speak with you first. Sara, will you be okay?"
Sara nodded, and we left the gym together, walking home. She was confused about what was happening, but I didn't have any answers (and since Clara wasn't there to translate for me, Sara didn't seem able to understand me anyways), so she ended up talking about school instead. We walked quickly and soon ended up back at home to find Sara's mother waiting for us at the door.
"Sara! Tammy just called with a message for us; the gym said you were on the way home. We're supposed to lock up and get ready for some sort of disaster?"
Sara nodded as we walked into the house. "I don't really know anything more than that. The gym was deserted when I got there except for Tammy and Opal; they were locking everything up. She said all the trainers had to go somewhere and that I should head home."
"That's really odd of them, but Flen wouldn't do something like this just for no reason. She didn't say anything else?"
"No. Well, she said they were with Absol, but I'm not sure what that is. I think it's the name of one of his Pokemon."
"Hrm." The three of us walked inside. "Well, I guess you get a day off today. Go upstairs and work on your homework; I'll make you a snack."
The rest of the day passed like normal, though the sky seemed gloomy and darker than normal while Sara and I played outside. That got cut short too- Sara's dad came home and decided we should stay inside just in case. I tried to tell Sara what Shells had told me about the Absol, but she didn't understand enough of what I said and just kept telling me everything would be okay until I finally gave up. The family played a board game for a while, which was a little interesting to watch, but otherwise nothing much happened. There was a sense of tension and expectation even though nothing was tangibly different. We were all waiting for something to happen, but it never did. Sara finally went to sleep, but I stayed up longer, perched on the windowsill looking out. If a disaster was going to come after us, I wanted to do what I could to stop it, or at least protect us... but eventually exhaustion got to me, and I fell asleep on the windowsill.
Clara stood at the entrance of the cave, eyes darting back and forth. Anything more than ten feet beyond her was hazy, as if looking through water, and had taken on a shade of purple. She twitched, and a ripple went through the light screen, something getting blocked by her shield. She squinted, trying to see through the darkness, trying to make out what was attacking her... but her eyes saw nothing but the darkness of the night.
A moment passed, and then a rock flew towards here. It flew through the light screen, then stopped suddenly, and bounced back out into the night, reflected by her second screen, held in place to stop physical attacks. Clara gritted her teeth, annoyed. This had been happening for hours, and she was tired- there was no sunlight to energize her, and she longed desperately for sleep... but she knew that if she faltered, whatever was out there would get in and attack Flen and the wounded Absol.
Thinking of Flen brought her thoughts back on the task at hand, and she concentrated more on her barriers, gritting her teeth. Nothing happened for a while... then she felt something, a wave of terror and pain, a cry for help from someone she knew. She blinked, and saw a vision, a sight through someone else's eyes- a watery veil covered everything, and it was hailing, but Clara recognized the inside of the gym from beneath the water. Parts of it were on fire, and one side of it seemed to have collapsed already. Clara could make out Tammy nearby, shouting something, horrible cuts and gashes visible over her face and arms.
The vision wavered for a second before growing clearer, and a Houndoom appeared in the vision, a horrible grin on its face, flames licking the air around it. The vision wavered again, and a stream of water shot out towards the Houndoom... but the Pokemon jumped away at the last second, dodging the attack. The Houndoom threw back its head in a laugh, but there was no sound in the vision. The Houndoom looked behind him and said something... then there was a sharp impact and the vision faded.
Clara blinked, her concentration shattered, and the barriers wavered. She recovered in an instant and the barriers shot back up as soon as they fell, but it was enough- a tiny pebble shot through the entrance, shooting so fast it looked like a shooting star, hitting Clara's shoulder with a thwack. The attack hurt, and Clara collapsed to the ground, but the barriers stayed up this time. She gritted her teeth against the pain, and looked behind her.
"Flen... there's a problem at the gym."