Breeze Song, part 1
The Blaziken's crow broke Michael's dream, and he rose. Taking his cane, he descended down the stairs to let Alex out before having some breakfast.
Alex was a Luxray that he and his older brother, Jonathan, had raised. She was an effective mouser and guarded the farm quite well, which made her very popular with the many residents. When she heard him coming, she rose from her mat, her tail swishing. She crackled with impatience, pawing at the door.
"Settle down," Michael gave her head a ruffle, opening the door so she could step outside. She stumbled a bit as she leaped off the porch. Each step lacked energy, and he could tell that she was trying to hide some sort of pain. He shook his head before heading inside to have some breakfast.
The house was shared by many of the boys who called the farm their home. Michael found his brother at the crowded meal table and had a seat next to him. Jonathan grinned and handed him a bowl.
"How's Alex?" the older sibling asked as he passed his younger brother some milk.
Michael sighed as he reached for some toast. "She hasn't been doing any better, and she's limping a little. She really needs to have a checkup..."
Jonathan rested his chin in his hand and frowned. "I was hoping she was just feeling a little down." He sighed as well. "I'll bring her to the vet, I have some time off I can use."
"Okay," Michael nodded as he dipped the toast in the warm milk. The nearest town was about a day and a half away on foot, which was another reason why they had put off a checkup - without her help, the farm was less defended. The last time that Alex had been away, a few Rattata had slipped into the granary without anyone noticing, and they had done a considerable amount of damage to the season's crop.
Of course, there was also the fact that leaving meant one less worker on the farm, and Michael was too feeble to fill in. He could watch over the animals and little else, which was something he regretted terribly.
Jonathan ruffled his hair. "Chin up. It's nothing a night at the Pokemon Center can't fix."
Michael offered a feeble smile and finished his meal so he could tend to the Torchics outside.
Tending to the little birds was something that always calmed him down...the antics of the small Pokemon would bring a smile to his face. They enjoyed his company as well, and would come in little fuzzy groups to greet him under the watchful eye of the Blaziken rooster.
Today they seemed a bit distressed, and peeped nonstop as they circled him. He knelt among them and spoke in soft tones, but noticed their mothers were worried as well. In the fields, he could hear the Mareep bleating anxiously. Something very big was happening, he thought as he gazed over the horizon...
"Michael!" his brother's voice brought him back to attention. He turned to see him waving down the path with Alex nearby. "I'm leaving now!"
Michael waved back, calling out some encouragement before returning his attention to the panicking Pokemon. They seemed barely interested in the seed spread out for them, and he knew that meant that something was wrong...
The Blaziken patted his shoulder roughly, grumbling. With a claw, he pointed toward the forest.
"Over there?"
The Blaziken clucked affirmatively.
Michael did feel afraid of what could have made the Pokemon so agitated - they had a better sense of intuition than humans - but he took a deep breath and headed towards the direction indicated, using his cane to steady his steps. Just what he was going to find he didn't know, but there was something very urgent about how they were acting.
The forest appeared peaceful enough, and that confused him. After a moment, he realized it was too peaceful - there wasn't a sound to be heard but the wind through the trees.
Funny, the forest usually didn't have much wind blowing through it. But these were loud squalls coming from a particular direction, which was decidedly unnatural. With a deep breath in and out, he headed into the wind.
The forest began to part slightly, and he was beginning to see blood on the path. He paused for a breathless moment, examining the scene around him - there was some sort of fight, fought even if the wounded party was fleeing, if the direction and force of the blood was any indication. He swallowed, and followed the blood as fast as he could, shouldering off his bag so that he held it in his hands.
He began to hear voices, angry ones. Words like "Got away" and "Where" were prominent, and there were the growls of Zangoose and Jolteon...there were a couple of each with the racket they were raising. Fortunately, he was heading away from them, but it was enough to have him on his guard.
The trail opened up to a calm river. Michael scanned the area as he panted for breath. The air felt tight -- clenched, and the wind sputtered weakly. It was nothing like the whipping that he had felt earlier.
He followed a bend in the river, and found the pursued creature - a collapsed beast of a brilliant blue. An ice blue crest covered a thick mane of a deep azure that streamed behind its head, and white streamers lay strewn around its body. Michael fell on his knees, his cane falling out of his trembling hands, and approached the creature with a mixture of awe and concern.
It was slashed in a fashion that he recognized - the careful slices that were False Swipes - and they had done their work. The poor beast was in critical condition...and from the stiff position of its limbs, it had been paralyzed as well. Its chest heaved with exertion, trying to recover from its escape.
"Suicune?" he dared to say, his voice barely above a whisper. The creature fought to open its eyes, looking up at him with an unfathomable wrath. Its lips curled in a snarl, and it growled so feebly that Michael's heart wrenched in sympathy.
"I'm going to help you," he reached into his bag, and the Suicune's growl became louder. "Here - drink this," he held a bottle of water to the wounded creature, waiting for it to open its mouth. Its growl faded, and after a heated glare, it parted its jaws. Michael poured gently, letting it drink as much as it wished. It shook its head after a few long gulps, and he left the bottle propped up next to its head.
He had a few healing items in his bag, in case one of the farm Pokemon had gotten into a scuffle. He sprayed the creature's wounds with any potions that weren't empty. At first the Suicune winced every time it felt the strange mist, but when it realized its effects, it held still so that he could focus on the hurt areas.
"That's all I have," he said as he sat up. The Suicune managed to heave itself up so that it was lounging instead of knocked prone - it still had cuts, but they were much smaller and much less numerous than before. "You'll need this," he held out a Cheri berry. It snarled again - this time in disgust. It probably recognized that it had a spicy flavor and disliked it. "It's for your own good...please..."
The Suicune looked into his eyes for a moment, then took the berry from his hand. It chewed slowly, swallowing with difficulty. The berry had the desired effect, though - now, it could stand.
Standing and in good condition, its fur faintly twinkled in the light...it took Michael's breath away. He had heard tales of Suicunes, even saw a couple of glimpses of one in a documentary, but it was nothing like seeing one in person -- nothing like seeing one that shone. Realizing the majesty of the creature, he bowed low to the ground.
He felt it approach and nose him up, and he stole a glance at its face. Its expression had calmed.
"Why do you bow?" it spoke in a feminine voice. It frightened him so much he flinched. "You...have saved me."
He struggled to meet its gaze. Though the anger had left its face, it was still intimidating.
"Are you afraid of me?" it tilted its head. "You were not before."
Michael was speechless. He rose to a kneeling position, holding out an impertinent hand. It hesitated, and placed its head under his hand. Its fur was soft and cool, and the crest pleasantly chill.
"There she is!"
The edge of the forest burst with activity as three rough-looking men tore towards the two. "You won't get away this time!" they yelled, readying Pokeballs to throw.
"Hang on to me," the Suicune stepped in front of Michael, despite his protests. The men were closing in fast --
And the Suicune took in a mighty breath and roared with such force that they all were blown away into the wind. Michael clung to her, his hair whipping in his face. He could barely hold on to his bag.
There was a resounding silence when she had finished her great cry. Then, the clenched air gradually loosened. Slowly, the sounds of the forest returned.
Michael sighed deeply - he hadn't been able to breathe easily when the air was tight. He let go of the creature, looking up at her. She turned her head a bit in an idle motion and caught him looking at her.
"Are you alright?"
Michael swallowed before nodding. She stepped around him so they were facing each other.
"Without you, I would have been their thrall," she nodded. "My name is Joan. I am indebted to you."
Michael laughed uneasily. "It's...it wasn't a problem at all! I had to help you."
"No, you did not," Joan's voice sobered. "You could have captured me. You could have handed me over to those vermin. You could --" here she hesitated, bowing her head - "you could have taken my life."
Michael's awkward smile drooped, and he reached out again, hesitating before placing his hand on her head. She did not stop him. "I would never do that. And not just because you're special -- I wouldn't do that to anyone or anything." After he said that, he realized that it might've sounded a bit rude. "I, er," he pulled his hand back. "Sorry."
She raised her head, locking eyes with him. He could tell she was deeply contemplating something...
"Your soul is pure," she said. "And your heart is kind. As your reward, I will realize three of your wishes."
His eyes went wide in surprise. "I...are you sure?"
"Any three you desire," she nodded dutifully.
He considered the possibilities. A wish was a broad thing, but...he didn't have many things he wanted. And what he did want, he was willing to work for. Joan seemed determined to thank him, though, so he gave it thought. As he pondered, he looked around him.
"Oh --" he gasped, mostly to himself. He couldn't find his cane. "Oh, rats --"
"Is something the matter?"
He crawled on all fours to look for it. "My cane -- I lost it..."
"You mean this?"
He turned around, and to his surprise, his cane was underneath Joan's paw. "How --" he broke into relieved and pleasantly surprised laughter. "How did you do that?"
"That is of no importance," she rolled it towards him. "Can you stand?"
With it in hand, he hobbled onto his feet. Now that he was upright, he realized that Joan was slightly shorter than he was - which seemed strange to him. It took him a moment to realize why - in everything he had heard about Suicunes, they were always described as being taller than a full-grown man. Maybe she's just young, he thought.
"Have you yet decided?" she asked, her ribbons undulating a bit quicker.
The wishes...try as he might, nothing came to him. It was only when he thought back to his brother and Alex that he had an idea.
"My brother and I own a Luxray," he began. "And...she hasn't been well for a while now. I'm really concerned...can you cure her?"
Joan raised her head and appeared to listen for something on the wind. After a moment, she spoke. "It is grave indeed. It will worsen, but I will reverse it." She pawed the ground. "I regret that I cannot accomplish this without time."
Michael felt as if someone had heaved a great weight on his back. The gravity of her condition had hit him suddenly...she must have been suffering much more than he had thought. That he hadn't noticed...he was disappointed in himself.
"How much time?" he managed to say.
"Three weeks, at most," Joan answered. He winced at that, three weeks would be a long time to be in pain. "I am sorry. Her case is..."
"Do whatever you can...please," he gave her a reassuring smile.
She nodded. "What is your second wish?"
He was about to dismiss the rest altogether, but realized that without Alex, the farm would take a huge hit. The last time the Rattata snuck in, she was gone for barely a week...who could guess what could happen in three weeks?
"Well?" Joan tipped her head at him.
Michael sighed. "That Luxray...she guards the farm we live on from intruders, and without her a lot of the farm is at risk. We'll...need a new guardian until she gets better."
The color of her eyes flickered, like a flame, and her gaze heated. "That...is one of your wishes?"
Under that stare, he had a feeling that he had overstepped his boundaries, but he couldn't imagine why. "Yes..."
Joan was very silent for a moment. The wind began to blow, hard enough to make Michael cover his face with his arms. He was suddenly afraid - that perhaps he had invoked the great beast's fury by asking something foolish. Hoping to redeem himself, he shouted into the wind, "That will be my last wish!"
"You do not wish to use your third?" She shouted, to be heard over the wind, but her volume made him tremble. Her voice was icy, with an undertone of fury that was more obvious in the whipping wind.
Michael had to fight to keep his balance. "No!"
It seemed like an age before the wind died down. When he uncovered his eyes, Joan was calm, barely moving. Her expression was...melancholy.
"Very well," she bowed her head. "I will take the Luxray's place, and remain for a year and a day, should you ever decide to use your third wish."
He broke into a relieved smile. "Thank you! Thank you so much..." he approached to hold her in a hug. She stiffened at the touch, but made no other moves. "This means a lot to me."
"It is your wish," she said, dismissing his gratitude. "And it is my duty to realize it."
"Thank you, Joan," Michael repeated.
"...You are most welcome."