"Fate Surprises All"
"Remember, Saurlee. Don't talk to anyone."
"Okay, already! I know!" the young Bulbasaur girl said to her brother. "I'll be quiet. I promise."
"And stay close," the Ivysaur warned her. "We need to get in and out of Shuca Town as fast as we can. Try to keep up with me."
The little one grumbled. "I'm getting tired," she whined. "Slow down! You're walking too fast! Brother, it's not even noon yet! We don't have to run from the Watchers! Why do we walk so fast?"
"I'm sorry," said the older one, trying to hide his anxiety from his sister. "We can rest soon. Just keep up the pace a little bit longer, alright?"
"I'm trying…" she moaned, stepping in a small puddle of mud.
Though she was tired, the little Bulbasaur followed her brother through a thick, bushy forest, tracing the shore of a small river. She squinted as she forced her way through a prickly dead shrub, trying to keep the pace with him.
"Why don't we just use the roads?" she wondered. "They would be faster!"
"Saurlee…"
"And why do mommy and daddy need us to bring food?" she implored, scampering around dents in the forest floor. "Can't they just get berries from the forest?"
"Because… there are no berries in a cave," the Ivysaur replied, keeping his focus on the path ahead. "I told you… mommy and daddy and the rest of everyone are all staying in a cave right now."
"Why?"
"Saurlee, we've been over this," the Ivysaur snapped, stopping in his tracks for a moment and looking at her sternly. "We need to stay hidden from other Pokémon for now."
"Oh…" she said, looking at the ground. "It's because of Saura, isn't it?"
With a solemn frown, the Bulbasaur's brother nodded his head.
"I'm getting tired of staying hidden," she whined, digging a paw into the wet dirt. "Saurvor, when can we stop being hidden?"
Saurvor sighed, casting a sad glance to the young one.
"Come on, we need to keep going," he said, turning his attention forward and forging a path through the foliage. "We'll get to Shuca Town in a few minutes."
"Brother?"
"What?" he yelped, stopping again.
"Can we stay with everyone else this time?" Saurlee asked. "I miss mommy and daddy… I'm tired of walking to different towns all the time. I miss them…"
"We'll see," Saurvor responded. "It depends. We'll stay a little while, at least."
"Promise?"
The Ivysaur smiled.
"Yeah, I promise. I miss them too, you know."
Though the young one was weary, she grew excited at the prospect of seeing her family again. She took a distressed breath and continued to follow her brother through the overgrowth.
Shuca Town was a quiet and relaxing garden town, certainly not as bustling as Iron Town or Sitrus City, both of which were places Saurlee had visited in weeks prior with her brother. They entered the town upon roads assembled from colorful, polished cobblestones winding their way through roadside flowerbeds and relaxing streams of clear water. It was so plaintive and quaint a place, with no tall buildings and no yammering of Pokémon voices to drown out the sounds of nature. The late-morning sun cast long shadows from the rocks and signposts beside the road, and made the stones in the road sparkle.
…But even though there were almost no Pokémon walking the streets with them, Saurlee noticed that her brother kept glancing over his shoulder and looking around. It was something he did no matter what city they were visiting.
"Act natural," he reminded her in a quiet hiss. "And keep an eye out. If you see anyone take a look at us and run away really fast, let me know. You remember the code word, right?"
"Poison ivy!" she recited, proud of remembering.
"Good. Now, this shouldn't take long. And remember, don't call me by my real name. And don't tell anyone your name, either. We just need to find a satchel of cheap berries, and we'll be on our way home, okay?"
"Alright, brother."
She followed close beside him, taking in the interesting culture of the new town along the way. Saurlee had been to a lot of towns lately, and this one wasn't very exciting in comparison, but she found a couple neat things to look at. The flowers in the beds were growing at differing heights, forming what looked like puddles of wobbling water with the fine, blue pedals. The cobblestone road occasionally had a bright ruby or sapphire-looking stone embedded in it, and Saurlee curiously peered at her reflection in them as she passed. Looking beyond the roads, she saw that the outskirts of town were large, flat farmlands and peaceful orchards, the plough-tracks carving the meadow into brick-like patterns.
To pass the time, Saurlee remained on the lookout for new species of Pokémon she had never before seen. Every town and city seemed to have brand new species of creatures to meet, some which awed the little Bulbasaur, and others which caused her to laugh at how ridiculous they looked. Saurvor had asked her to point out any Pokémon she didn't recognize, and he would tell her what kind they were. She was always impressed at his knowledge of Pokémon species; he seemed to know them all.
With excitement, she spotted one, and called out to her brother.
"What is that?" she wondered in a squealing voice, indicating a short but bulky quadruped walking on the opposite side of the street.
"Oh, that?" Saurvor quipped quietly. "That's a Donphan. They're pretty strong. They probably have a lot of them living here; they like dirt and they are strong enough to pull the ploughs in the fields."
The hardy elephant Pokémon did not even give her a passing glance she continued to stare at it in curiosity.
"Alright, here we are," Saurvor said, indicating a market booth on the street corner. "This looks like what we need. You can keep watch for a minute. I'm going to go buy some berries, and then we'll figure out how to get home from here, alright?"
Saurlee nodded, staying a few paces behind her brother as he approached the merchant. On the other side of the wooden stand, a Ledian meticulously arranged colorful berries in rows, judging their sizes.
"Excuse me?" he called to her. "Miss?"
The red bug paused and glanced up. Opening her wings, she buzzed over her berries and perched on the front counter.
"Good morning!" she called. "Oh, my. Been a while since I've seen a 'saur, you must be passing through!"
Saurvor nodded, producing a small bag of coins from the folds of his flower. "We're heading north for the waterfalls. We need something for the road, and those berries of yours are looking awfully appetizing…"
She smiled, bowing her head. "Aww, you know, it's an honor to be flattered by a 'saur. You're some of the best gardeners, you know. You know quality when you see it."
"Yep," he said, humoring her. "Certainly caught my eye. Those Orans in particular. Very round, no blemishes, well-guarded, ripened on the vine for seven days…"
"Ahh, it's a shame we have none of your kind living in Shuca Town," she sighed. "You would be of great help. Do you have a family at all? We're always looking for new gardeners to recruit."
"Nope, just me and my sis here," he laughed curtly. "The rest of my family is all over Ambera; don't exactly hear from them anymore."
"Well, then! What can I do for you, good traveler?" the ladybug said proudly. "I'd hate to keep you from your travels."
"No, it's no problem!" Saurvor said, grinning. "What do you have?"
Nearby, the little Bulbasaur stood guard, watching as a Pokémon wandered down the road or flew overhead every now and again. As always, she watched for Pokémon who would look like they were afraid of her – Pokémon who would see her and pick up the pace, trying to get away quickly. She didn't quite understand why, but it seemed important to her brother to spot Pokémon who would do that. Luckily, she'd never seen it happen.
Furthermore, for a good length of time, she couldn't spot any Pokémon she didn't know. A line of Sentret wandered by once. Later, there was a Buizel, followed by a Roselia. A few Starvia flew past, perching on the signposts to rest. They were all Pokémon she'd seen many times before. Nothing special.
After a while, she started to become bored. Saurvor had insisted upon starting a long, uninteresting conversation with the Ladybug Pokémon, and all she could do was sit and stare at the serene yet empty little town and its inhabitants which slowly passed by.
There were more Sentret… a Grotle…
Finally, after what seemed like an hour, she spotted a new kind of Pokémon she'd never seen before.
It stood a block down the road at another market-booth, speaking softly to the merchant on the other side. With inquisitive yellow eyes, it appraised the seller's wares, things which looked like large seeds and cloth-stitched satchels to hold them in.
The Pokémon was red, and very tall. Its armor gleamed in the sunlight, as though it were made of polished steel. It had great pincers at the ends of its arms, reminding her of the Krabby she had seen during her recent trip to the seaside.
Fascinated, she stared at this creature. It looked strong and magnificent. It impressed her with a sense of awe and respect, unlike any bug Pokémon she had seen before.
As she stared at it, wondering how strong it was, the tall red insect paused, calling off its conversation with the Machop it had been speaking to. It turned its head, and one of its eyes gleamed in Saurlee's direction.
"Brotherrrrr!" Salee cried. "Hey, hey, brother?"
"Excuse me," Saurvor said to the Ledian, looking a little frustrated. "What is it, sis?"
"I found a new kind of Pokémon!" she told him.
"Oh, um…" he said, awkwardly. "Remember what it looks like, and I'll tell you later. But sis, look. I'm having a conversation right now. It's rude to interrupt."
"You said we'd be quick!" Saurlee begged. "I'm bored. Can't we go yet?"
The Ivysaur and the Ledian exchanged an awkward glance.
"Oh, sorry. Pardon me, I ramble sometimes," she said, quickly assembling the pouch of berried he had ordered. "Go on, go on! Don't let me keep you stuffed in the dirt."
"No, really," the Ivysaur insisted, looking mortified. "It's fine."
"Nonsense!" she hummed, presenting him with a hefty pouch filled with a dozen blue berries. "I know what it's like to have kids. You've gotta listen to them sometimes, it helps keep you on track! There you are, sir!"
After a quick exchange of formalities, Saurvor paid her some golden coins and continued down the road with his sister, tying the satchel to his back with his vines.
"Brother, why did you take so long?" Saurlee moaned. "You said we'd go soon!"
"Sis, I thought I told you not to talk to anyone!" he scorned. "You promised you would be quiet… I need to be able to trust you, Saurlee. This is very important."
"I'm sorry…" she sighed. "I promise! Next time I will be quiet."
"Even if it's boring?"
"Fine! Even if it's boring."
He gave her a playful nudge. "Very good. I'm sorry it was so boring, by the way," he told her. "I admit, I was getting a bit bored, too. But acting natural means you have to have a conversation sometimes. If you look like you're in a hurry to get away all the time, that looks suspicious."
"Fine, whatever," she mumbled. "Can we go yet?"
"Yeah, we can go," he said, casting wary glances in all directions just as he would normally do. "Follow me. Let's go this way."
He began leading her down the road which appeared to lead out of and beyond the little town.
"Brother, that's north!" she corrected him. "Weren't we going east all morning? You said mommy and daddy are to the east."
"Well… We'll go north first, then east," he said hesitantly. "It's alright; it won't be that much further. Trust me."
Stifling a grumble, the little Bulbasaur shut her mouth. She really didn't understand what her brother was thinking sometimes, and it was always useless to argue. She did trust him, however.
"Hey, can you tell me about that Pokémon I saw?" she said suddenly as they were nearing the end of the town, the cobbled road underfoot turning back into a plodded-down reel of dirt.
"Sure," he replied kindly. "What did you see?"
"Well, it was a red Pokémon," she started. "And it looked like a bug. It had a really shiny shell…"
Saurvor laughed. "You're silly, you know that? That was a Ledian. You know that! You've seen them before. They're grown-up Ledyba."
"No, not that," Saurlee insisted, scampering right up to her brother's side. "No. This one was a big bug. It was really tall and it stood on two legs."
"Oh, really?" he chuckled. "What else?"
"And it had crabclaws. And a mask. And spikes on its head."
"Ohhh," the Ivysaur sang, nodding in understanding. "That was probably a Scizor."
"Scizor?"
"Yeah. They're a grown-up Scyther," he explained. "They're a lot nicer than Scyther, too. Much more calm and deliberate. But that's interesting; Scizor are kind of rare. You don't see very many around this part of the country.."
"Scythers are scary!" the young Bulbasaur quipped. "I hope I never have to meet one… Do you think they could live around here?"
"Aww, don't worry about it," he said, comfortingly. "But not every Scyther is bad. Sometimes you can meet a nice one. That Scizor you saw is probably just a town elder. Scyther make very good gardeners, you know. They're good at harvesting crops and cutting down weeds. You can't always trust their tempers, though. But yeah… sometimes, you can meet a nice one."
As they walked down the lonesome road, going the wrong way just to "act natural" as Saurvor would put it, the little Bulbasaur's mind drifted back to her home. Her real home. Before Saura left, she never imagined that the world would be such a huge place. But no matter how many places she discovered, her heart was still deeply planted in the meadow where she grew up.
"Hungry?" Saurvor said, tossing her a berry from the bag. "You can have one. But we have to save the rest for the family.
She caught it on her nose and swiveled a vine around it, keeping it from hitting the ground. She turned it over, looking at the interesting piece of fruit. It was blue, and it had leaves and a stem still attached.
She nibbled it, enjoying the sharp and bitter flavor.
"When do you think Saura will come back?" she wondered, blue juice dripping from the sides of her mouth.
Saurvor turned his head away, refusing to answer.
"Brother?"
He grit his teeth, looking into the distance with disdain.
"Sauuuuurvor?" the little one whined. "I said, when do you think Saura will come back? I miss him!"
"I miss him too, Saurlee," the older one finally answered. "But… I don't think he'll be coming back for a long time, if… at all."
"Aww, why?" she cried. "What's wrong with Saura?"
"Saura did something… very bad," he said reluctantly. "And… he has to keep himself hidden. Like us. Except… worse. Or something bad will happen to him."
"Aww, but brother, he said that he's okay!" Saurlee insisted. "He said that the Master would just find a new Bulbasaur to take his place!"
"I don't think that's quite the case," Saurvor said, lowering his voice and choosing his words wisely. "The Flareon was really specific about wanting him. They still want him. He made the Master very angry."
"Well… they still might find him!" she cheered in hope. "Then he can come back and be with us again!"
The Ivysaur sighed, hanging his head and staring at the ground. He stopped walking.
"Sis, there's something I need to tell you, and maybe it's the best time to tell you now, before we get back to the others."
"What?" she chirped, looking confused.
"Saura isn't… exactly…"
He dug his paw deep into the dirt road.
"He's not welcome in our family anymore."
Saurlee blinked. "What do you mean?" she said.
"I mean, mom and dad don't want to see him anymore," Saurvor uttered, looking gravely into his sister's eyes. "They said that they don't want him around anymore. So… we might be able to meet him one day, but… they… what I'm saying, is… he's not allowed to come back home. Dad said that."
Saurlee stood still. Her gaze was frozen at him.
"Sorry I didn't tell you until now," he said. "I just don't like to see you cry. But… it's just… because of what Saura did, we might have to be fugitives for the rest of our lives now. And… well, maybe mom and dad will forgive him someday. But not now. Now, we just… have to let him go."
He stepped close to her, his deep, sympathy-filled eyes watching as she tried to hold back tears.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "You can cry if you want. I cried too…"
Saurlee jumped at him, pressing her forehead against her brother's side. And she sobbed loudly.
"I'm sorry," he said again, nuzzling her forehead.
After a few hours of walking down empty roads, and a few more hours leaving the road behind and wandering through the unpaved, untamed wilderness, the little Bulbasaur and her brother arrived to the cave where their family stayed.
Saurlee had been silent for the rest of the journey. She didn't feel like saying anything. She kept seeing Saura in her head, wondering if she'd ever see her favorite brother again. Saurvor let her be, knowing just how she felt; it was the same way he had reacted when he heard that Saura had been ostracized. He was, and had always been, a part of the family; he would likely stay in their hearts for a long while after he was gone. Even if he had forced them all to become fugitives.
After navigating through a barren region covered in rocks and gravel, Saurvor found the awkward entrance to the cave. It was a long, narrow crack in the rocks underfoot, hidden by an overhanging slab of shale which made it appear as though the ground was flat and unbroken.
"It's cold," Saurlee spoke, her first words in a while, as they carefully lowered themselves into the wet, rocky passage.
"Caves usually are," Saurvor replied, carefully guiding the little one down with his vines and looking over his shoulder one last time.
"How do we know they're in here?" Saurlee wondered, listening as her voice began to echo.
"Because it's exactly where the letter said it would be," Saurvor replied. "Ah. Look, see that dent in the rock?"
Saurlee glanced up. There was a large, unusually-shaped gouge in the slab.
"Mom and dad probably dug that out so they could fit through and into the cave," Saurvor said. "They're in here, sis. They have to be."
Once the little Bulbasaur found her footing on the slanted cave floor, she scampered forward into the shadows, looking for any signs of her family.
"Hellooo?" she wailed, hearing her voice amplified by the darkness.
Then, she turned a corner, and saw them. In the light of a glowing green stone hung upon the wall of the chamber by some dead vines, she saw two elderly Venusaur and seven young Bulbasaur planted snuggly around them, taking a midday nap.
"Saurlee!" cried one of the little Bulbasaur, jumping to attention. "Saurlee's here!"
Soon, all seven of the young ones were wide awake, clamoring in joy as they tackled their sister.
"Ah, we're happy to see you," the mother Venusaur said, her eyelids fluttering between opened and closed. "Is Saurvor with you?"
"I'm right here, mom," the Ivysaur called from across the chamber, quickly catching up. "Yeah, we made it. Oh, wow. Everyone looks so wilted. Hungry? Here! I have berries for everyone!"
Like little baby birds, the Bulbasaur all crowded around their brother and begged for food. He happily passed out Rawst Berries to his siblings.
"You're early," grumbled the father Venusaur. "You should have come when it was darker. Are you sure no one followed you?"
"Not that I saw," he replied. "And besides, I had Saurlee help me keep an eye out. You didn't see anyone suspicious, did you, Saurlee?"
"I… don't think so," she replied, trying to remember all the Pokémon she saw. "There wasn't any Pokémon who saw us and then ran away really fast."
Having already ate her fill earlier, Saurlee stepped back and watched as her brothers and sister devoured the contents of the satchel.
"Mommy?" she said suddenly.
"What is it, Saurlee?" she said kindly.
"Why can't Saura be a part of the family anymore?"
The room went silent. Even Saurlee's siblings hesitated, berry skins hanging from their mouths.
Saurvor grit his teeth. The two Venusaur glanced at one another.
"Saura is gone," the father spoke in a deep grumbling voice, "He decided not to be a part of our family anymore."
"But daddy…"
"No, no buts," the father said, raising his voice. "Saura left because he wanted to leave. He has decided not to love us anymore."
"No! He still loves us!" Saurlee squealed, stepping past her siblings and meeting her father face-to-face. "Daddy, I met him! He misses us a lot and he wants to see us again!"
"Wait, you met Saura?" one of the other little Bulbasaur gasped. "Was he okay? How was he?"
The bunch of little Bulbasaur seemed keenly interested.
"Was he stronger? Did he sprout yet?"
"Was he rich?"
"Does he lead a big army?"
"Why didn't he come back?"
"Quiet!" the father shouted, drowning out their voices. "I told you. I don't want to hear you talking about Saura anymore."
"But…" squeaked Saurlee. "But, father…"
"No buts," he said forcefully. "He does not grow from our vine anymore. The faster we can forget about him, the better off we'll be. The next person who says Saura's name is sitting in the corner."
"I guess that will have to be me, then!"
A hushed silence fell over the family; the voice had not been one of theirs.
There was a Pokémon at the cave entrance that was not part of the family. The little Bulbasaur all dropped their berries and froze in fright, holding their breaths and trying not to make a sound.
Saurvor gasped in panic, leaping in front of his siblings to stand in the way of whomever was coming.
Turning the corner and revealing itself in the soft green glow of the chamber was a Flareon.
"Saurvor," the father Venusaur spoke gravely. "You were followed."
Saurvor's heart caught in his throat.
The fiery canine wasted no time in approaching the family, standing dominatingly above the children.
Saurlee knew this Pokémon. It was the same Flareon that wanted Saura to come with him. The same Flareon that had gotten mad and burned down their gardens when he heard that Saura was no longer there. The same Flareon which had set a deadline for getting Saura back, a deadline they had missed.
It all made sense to her now. She understood why the family was hiding.
It was for safety. They were hiding from the fire. From him.
Standing before the bunch of shocked little Bulbasaur, the Flareon glowered at the Venusaur who stood behind them.
"In all honesty, I'm sorry if you're sick of hearing about him, but Saura is just the one I have come to talk to you about. And we need to have a serious talk. Oh, do we."
The Venusaur mother softly growled at the intruder. The children began to back away from the fox, afraid of being burned.
"Tell me; how is it that you have managed to keep all of your children at your side, except for the most important one?" the Flareon spoke to the father. "That seems a little, how to say… tragically convenient?"
"Because he wasn't running away from us," the father answered. "He was running away from you."
"YOU HAD ONE JOB!" the Flareon barked loudly, startling everyone. "ONE. JOB. Your job was to GIVE HIM TO ME. HOW DO YOU LET HIM GET AWAY LIKE THIS? HE IS A CHILD! YOU ARE STRONGER THAN HIM! HE WAS SUPPOSED TO TRUST YOU!"
There was a moment of burning silence after the fox's outburst ended.
"Pardon me," the Flareon said in a plain voice, pacing a semicircle around the patch of little Bulbasaur. "I have let my temper get the better of me, again. But, you see… we are at an impasse, Grayleaf. The child is still missing, and the Master still needs him. What do you propose we do?"
"Get out," the Venusaur snarled. "Get out of my den, leave my family alone, or… I will put out your fire."
The Flareon paused. Saying not a word, he stepped up to the Venusaur and stared him down. Though the Venusaur towered above him, the Flareon did not seem to lose confidence.
The Flareon shrugged. "You probably could, if you tried," he said. "I have no doubt, Grayleaf. You have proven yourself well in the past. However… Could you also put out their fires, too?"
A pack of Houndoom entered the green light of the cave, sealing off the entrance. The Bulbasaur all gave muffled gasps at seeing them.
"I'm only going to say this one more time, Grayleaf," the Flareon growled softly at the father Venusaur as the children cowered in terror. "I am willing to cooperate with you. So tell me… what do you say we should do about this problem? I am quite open to suggestions."
The two of them stared at one another, in silence, for a whole minute.
The little Bulbasaur all quivered in fright.
Saurlee pressed herself close to her Ivysaur brother, hoping he could protect her.
The mother Venusaur tensed. Fearing for her children and her mate, she prepared to lash at the attackers at the first sign of trouble, thinking nothing of her own safety.
At last, after many silent moments filled with held breaths and pounding hearts, the Flareon sighed.
"Fine," he whispered. "Fine… if that is the case, fine."
He turned his back to the Venusaur and hung his head, walking slowly back to the cave entrance where the Houndoom pack waited.
He looked into the eyes of the dark, fiery hounds.
"Take the children. We can use them to draw the fugitive out of hiding. As for the mother and father… burn them. The Ivysaur too, if you must."
"NOOO!" screeched the mother Venusaur, leaping to the protection of her children.
Then, the fighting broke loose.
Saurvor quickly wrapped up Saurlee in his vines and tossed her away. Her head smacked painfully into the wall and she landed in the corner of the cave, far from the violence.
And she watched.
There was screaming. And fighting.
And fire. So much fire…
She watched as her brothers tried to fight back with their leaves and vines. Leaves and vines which caught on fire.
She watched as the evil hounds charred them and slashed them and tore at their leaves and their skin.
Saurlee's throat convulsed into a long, powerful cry of agony. Tears flooded her eyes.
She watched as the Houndoom breathed long, blazing streams of fire onto her mommy and daddy.
She watched as her mommy and daddy burned.
"N-noo! Noooo! No!" She wailed from afar. "STOP IT! STOP!"
She watched as the swirling smoke clouded and gathered at the ceiling of the cave chamber, filling the room and making everything look dark.
And the last thing she saw, through the darkness… was a Pokémon of red.
That Pokémon with the claws on its hands and the spikes on its head. That Pokémon which hid its face behind a shining, steely mask.
It stood at the cave entrance, staring at her with those gleaming yellow eyes.
And Saurlee realized her mistake. It was him. He was the bad guy. He was the one who had caused their family to burn.
He was the one who had taken everything away.
They were coming for her now, those dark hounds. They were approaching her, their teeth drawn into loud snarls, their smoke and fire brimming from their mouths. They had burned her mommy and daddy. The Venusaur had turned into crusted black shadows and had stopped moving.
"NO!" She screamed with her tiny voice, coughing as she sucked the smoke into her lungs.
She shut her eyes and waved her vines futilely at them.
"NO! NO!"
And then…
It was silent. The sound of the fire. The sound of the growls and screeches of battling Pokémon. The sound of wails and laments from her family. It had all paused.
Saurlee opened her eyes. The Houndoom were no longer approaching her. In fact, they were leaving her alone.
They were walking backwards.
They walked backwards until they began battling with her fallen parents once more. This time, however, they were not burning anything. They were removing the fire from the leaves of the two Venusaur. The flames were peeling and curling off of her parents' bodies and flying back through the air, and the evil dark hounds were swallowing it.
Her father stirred. He was regaining his strength as the fire left him. Shards of his attacks, his leaves and spores, were shooting out of the wounds of the Houndoom and flying back into his flower. His vines whipped off the fire which had caught them. One of the hounds sucked up a vine from the floor and used its teeth to re-connect it to his father's control.
Saurlee couldn't move. She felt numb. She felt like she had no control over her actions. And she didn't know what was going on. And it was all in complete silence, as though she had gone deaf.
The hounds ushered the little scattered Bulbasaur children away from themselves, until all her siblings had formed a group, and Saurvor stood in front of them in protection. They continued doing everything while walking backwards.
Then, Saurlee moved. With a power that was not hers, she leaped into the air straight at the cavern wall, smacking her forehead against the rock. But the collision did not hurt; this time, it seemed to take the pain away. She careened through the air until Saurvor caught her in his vines, righted her so she stood firmly on the ground, then retracted his grasp.
She stepped away from her brother. Now she saw the Flareon walking in reverse, his back turned toward her father.
It's backwards, Saurlee realized. This is going backwards! Everything that's happening now has already happened!
Everything… is… starting over!
She watched as the Flareon stood off with her father. She watched as the Houndoom retracted themselves into the shadows, disappearing from sight.
She watched as her father spoke to her, mouthing out words but saying nothing. She stepped away from him, walking in reverse and taking her place along with her siblings. She watched as her brothers suddenly began to devour the Rawst berries in unison, coughing them up from their bellies piece-by-piece.
Then… just as soon as it had begun, it was over. Reality became normal again.
Sound once again rushed to Saurlee's ears. She regained control of her legs.
Gasping, she looked around at her family. Everything had been reversed, like some very bad dream. Everything had been undone. Nobody seemed to remember it.
She gaped again, trying to form words in her mouth, trying to create some kind of desperate scream, a warning of some kind, to cry out with.
"…Well?" Saurvor said, looking at her strangely.
Saurlee held her breath in hesitation. "What?" she said.
"Answer your brother's question, Saurlee," her mother instructed. "It's important."
Saurlee shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't hear you…" she croaked. "What did you say?"
"I said, you didn't see anyone suspicious on the road, did you?"
She froze in apprehension.
"Saurlee?" the Ivysaur spoke in a concerned tone. "Saurlee, are you okay? Ahh… Mom, I kind of… had a discussion with her on the way. She's still swallowing it…"
"YES! YES I SAW SOMEONE!" Saurlee squealed, making the collective family jump in fright. "THE SIZER! THE SIZER IS COMING! WE HAVE TO RUN AWAY RIGHT NOW!"
"What…?" Saurvor yelped. "Saurlee, calm down! Now, say it again."
But she couldn't calm down. Not after what she had seen. "The sizer we saw in the village was a bad guy! He's coming to get us right now! AND THE FLAREON TOO! THEY'RE GOING TO BURN US!"
Saurvor swallowed hard. "Saurlee, I don't think… Saurlee, what do you mean? Did he look like a bad guy?"
"No, brother! You don't understand!" She cried desperately, jumping at his feet. "I saw it happen right now! Just now! But it all went backwards and now you don't remember any of it! But it's going to happen again! PLEEEEASE, we have to RUN!"
"I'm afraid you have done enough running."
The Flareon once again appeared in the doorway, its eyes sparkling with malicious glee in the green light of the cave.
"See? There he is! Saurvor!" Saurlee gasped quietly.
But Saurvor said nothing. He just tensed, leaping between the Flareon and his siblings to protect them. But the Flareon cockily approached him, glaring into his eyes and down at the seven little Bulbasaur he protected.
"We need to have a talk, Grayleaf," the Flareon said, motioning to Saurlee's father. "Oh, do we."
Saurlee's mommy growled at the fiery fox. The little Bulbasaur all began to inch away from the intruder and to closer to the safety of their mother's side.
"Tell me," the fox growled, "how is it that you have managed to keep all of your children at your side, except for the most important one? That seems a little, how to say… tragically convenient?"
Saurlee realized… it was happening again.
It was happening all over again, the same way it had happened the first time.
Nothing was going to change.
"Because he wasn't running away from us," the father shot back. "He was running away from you."
Saurlee knew she needed to do something to save her family. Screaming in rage, she pounced at the fire-type Pokémon. But the Flareon effortlessly batted her away with a paw, sending her rolling across the floor.
"YOU HAD ONE JOB!" he roared, closing in on her father again. "ONE. JOB. Your job was to GIVE HIM TO ME. HOW DO YOU LET HIM GET AWAY LIKE THIS? HE IS A CHILD! YOU ARE STRONGER THAN HIM! HE WAS SUPPOSED TO TRUST YOU!"
"No, no NOOOO!" Saurlee squealed, getting back to her feet. "NO! IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN!"
"SILENCE, little flammable weed," the Flareon shouted at her, snarling. Regaining his false composure, he started to swagger around the gathered group of children. "Ah, it seems I am not the only one with temper problems. Pardon my outburst. But you see, Grayleaf, we are at an impasse."
He stepped up to the Venusaur, glaring at him.
"The child is still missing, and the Master still intends to have him. What do you propose to do?"
"Get out," Saurlee's father growled. "Get out of my den, and leave my family alone. Or I will put out your fire."
The Flareon paused, seeming to chuckle at the Venusaur's insubordination. "You know, Grayleaf, I wouldn't put it past you. You probably could put out my fire, if you tried hard enough. But you see, I don't take my business lightly. And I'm not the only one whose fire you need to put out."
The pack of Houndoom filed into the cave, as if on cue.
"I'm only going to say this one more time, Grayleaf," the Flareon whispered menacingly to the great Venusaur. "I am willing to cooperate with you. So, tell me… what do you say we should do about this problem? I am quite open to suggestions."
"DADDY! HE'S GOING TO BURN YOU!" Saurlee cried. "DADDY! Daddy, don't LISTEN!"
"Your daughter is a smart one, I see," the Flareon chuckled. "Very perceptive. Alright, if you don't have any ideas, I'll tell you mine, Grayleaf. Since you have failed to hold our bargain, I am going to take your children away from you, and use them as bait to lure Saura out of hiding. As for you… I have no more use for you anymore."
He motioned to the pack of dark hounds. "Burn them," he ordered, with a wave of his paw.
"NOOO!" her mother screamed in that same awful, broken voice Saurlee had heard the first time.
And just like the first time… the fighting broke out.
Saurlee couldn't take it. She had already seen her family burned once. And it was happening again.
Wailing, she joined the fight with her brothers, hoping to the gods it would help to change her destiny in some way.
"STOP."
At the command of a loud, authoritative voice, the violence ceased. The hounds hesitated, their claws and teeth not having torn through anything yet, their fire not having singed a single leaf upon the Venusaur.
Out of the shadows walked the Pokémon in red. The Flareon, as well as all of the Houndoom, seemed to act reverently in his presence. He turned his head, appraising the frozen scene of chaos before him, his bright red shell turning an odd rusty color in the light of the green glow-stone.
"Commander," the Flareon addressed. "What are your orders?"
"Stand down," ordered the red Pokémon. "There will be no bloodshed today within this cave."
"Commander," the fiery fox replied defensively. "We are only following the orders you have given. What has changed?"
The Scizor paced through the cave, eyeing the young Bulbasaur for a moment.
"A sign," the Scizor simply said. "I have been given a sign from divine providence that we are not to bring harm to this family."
The Flareon coughed. "Divine providence?" he laughed bitterly. "What is it, commander? What have the gods shown you?"
The Scizor shook its head. "In truth, this is the second time I am watching these events occur," he explained. "I have watched you capture the children and disable the elders. Then, when the deed was nearly finished, I witnessed, before my very eyes, the sum of your actions becoming undone, as time flowed in reverse."
"You watched time flow in reverse," the Flareon reiterated, "and so, because of that, you believe we should let these traitors be?"
The Scizor stared powerfully at his underling, his gaze hotter than any fire.
"Yes."
"I have never known you to have a sense of humor, Commander," the Flareon said snidely. "Surely, you jest. That is one of the worst excuses I have ever heard come out of your mouth! They call you the blood-knight, yet what are you now, but a knight in shining armor? You have grown impressively skilled in avoiding bloodshed, commander, for one who is supposed to enjoy it."
The Scizor was unfazed by the comment.
"To slaughter for pleasure is foolish," the Scizor spoke, disregarding the Flareon's frustration and approaching the Venusaur. "It is one thing which my colleagues do not seem to understand. I am not controlled by bloodlust, Hunter, in the way you are. That is why I am useful to the Master. It is what makes me your commander, and you the weapon which I use at my disposal. And be thankful I chose to assume the role of 'knight in shining armor' this day. The work we perform is delicate. As strong as we are, we cannot survive if one of the most high gods were to turn such a profound wrath against us. I do not know which god we have angered, but one which possesses the power to reverse time would also possess the ability to change history, or to alter fate. I do not wish to make enemies with such a god; do you, Hunter?"
The Flareon sat himself on the cave floor, bottling his anger.
"We have our orders, Commander," Hunter reminded the Scizor. "Would you defy Enigma's order? And on a hunch of witnessing time reverse itself: such a thing that cannot be proven, something that none of your fellows have witnessed with you?"
"Enigma trusts my judgment," the Scizor spoke. "Again, it is the reason I have been assigned to command you, and you to obey. If you do not obey my orders, I will hand you over to her, and she will give you the consequences she deems necessary."
"So… what?" the Flareon barked, astonished. "What now? Are we just going to leave them alone? We came all this way, searched for them for so long, and what now? What are we going to do with them?"
"We will escort them back to the meadow which is their rightful home," the Scizor spoke, "and leave them there until further notice."
"But, Commander…"
"At once, Hunter," the Scizor grunted. "Get out of my sight, and take this poor family with you. We have agonized them enough. Grayleaf; you may be at peace. Take your family home."
Hunter spat a fireball at the floor in rage, then began carrying out the order. He ushered the Venusaur and their children into a small group, and led them away.
The Scizor's yellow eye gleamed at Saurlee as she passed him.
"Wait," the Scizor spoke. "Let me speak to the little girl. Take the rest of them."
Saurlee gasped, looking to her mother and father in terror.
"It's alright, Saurlee," her mother told her. "Listen to the red Pokémon. Do what he says."
"Alright, mommy," Saurlee chirped, feeling so fearful.
Saurlee and the Scizor remained in the cave as the Bulbasaur family, the Flareon, and the pack of Houndoom all left their presence.
Finally, the Scizor spoke to her.
"The first time, you were standing there," he said, pointing one of his giant claws in the corner where Saurvor had tossed her. "The second time, you were there," he said, indicating a place in the center of the chamber. "You witnessed it, too, did you not?"
"Y—yeah," she croaked out. "I saw it. Time ran backwards."
"And so you changed your course of action to try to rewrite the fate of your family," he said. "When I saw that you had chosen to put up a fight the second time, I knew, at that moment, that what I had seen was not a hallucination."
The Scizor kneeled down close to the little Bulbasaur girl, bringing their gazes together.
"Do you know who I am?" the Scizor spoke. "Do you know my name?"
"No," Saurlee admitted. "Sorry…"
"It surprises me," the Scizor said. "I am a well-known Pokémon. Many Pokémon know my name. I am Adiel."
"I'm… Saurlee," the little one replied. "You—you work for the Master, right?"
"I do," he said, nodding. "The Master gives me many tasks I must carry out. One of them was to bring Saura to him."
"Why did you need Saura?" the little one implored. "I don't understand!"
"That is what I hoped I could tell you about," Adiel spoke. "As it turns out, he is impressively skilled as a fugitive. Skilled, or lucky. But it does not matter. My top priority in these past months has been to track him down and capture him, and it has proved a challenge. I say this as a compliment; I usually am able to take whatever I want, when I want it. Saura is proving to be the rare exception. I applaud him; he has learned how to evade me."
Saurlee cocked her head, wondering what the red Pokémon was talking about.
The red Pokémon looked down at her.
"He is also not your brother," he said.
Saurlee squinted. "Huuh?" she yelped. "Saura is my brother! We have known each other all of my life!"
Adiel nodded. "Yes, but he is no more your brother than I am his father. That is to say, we both adopted him and played our roles to him, but we are not truly related. See, little seedling; in the beginning, I found Saura."
"Found Saura?" she echoed, not understanding.
"As an infant, a tiny seedling, he was alone and orphaned," Adiel explained. "However, there was something very special about him; he possessed a latent power that was very strong. It was a power, for decades, the Master has been searching for. When I discovered Saura's power, I decided to take him. Yet, I did not have time to raise a child; the Master keeps me very busy with many tasks, and so, I gave him to Grayleaf, your father, so that he and his mate could give him the love and care which a Bulbasaur deserves. And I commissioned them, telling them that if they raised this little Bulbasaur into a strong and worthy Pokémon for me, and returned him into the Master's possession when it came time, I would reward them handsomely. Grayleaf and his mate failed to hold their end of the commission, the Master grew very mad, and so he told me to take desperate measures. However… I finally realize something. I know, now, why I was never able to capture Saura. At least, I understand why he kept slipping away from me… Do you want to know why, Saurlee?"
Saurlee only nodded.
"Because… the gods are on his side," Adiel said. "Somewhere, up there in the great sky, there is a being who helped to set the earth into motion, or wove the time stream… and that great being has found favor with Saura, and protects him from me. There is a god, perhaps even Arceus himself, who guides him and protects him, and is watching over him with every step he takes. And this god has blessed him with great power and great fortune, keeping him out of my reach. For as strong as I am, as strong as the Master is, or as strong as anyone is on this Earth… no one can defeat the gods in a fair fight. They always win."
"Wow…" Saurlee breathed. "Saura is really that special?"
"And by extension, so are you," Adiel told her. "You and your family are also being protected by this god. When I saw time reverse, I at last understood. I knew, by instinct, Saura was involved in some manner. And I knew… I could no longer touch you, for I fear divine vengeance."
Adiel stood to his full height.
"Be at peace, Saurlee; you and your family. Know that I, or any of the Master's forces, will no longer seek to harm you from this day forward. I am going to forgive the debt which your father owes to me, and I will forget the deal was ever set in place. Then, I'm going to send you home, and I will leave you there, where you and your family will rest peacefully for generations to come."
"But…" the little Bulbasaur gasped, "But what about Saura?"
"What about him?" Adiel returned. "There are times when a father may not know a son, nor a son a father. Yet, deep within the heart, you shall always know who your brothers are. Tell me, little Saurlee, do you love Saura? Do you look up to him and count him among your family?"
"Yes!" she replied without hesitating.
"Then he is your brother," Adiel said with a gleam in his eye. "And never let anyone else tell you otherwise."
"So… you're…"
"I'm going to stop hunting him too, yes," Adiel said. "I will simply inform the Master that Saura is beyond our reach, and not by anyone's fault. Besides, there is another Pokémon I must begin hunting very soon, or he may get away from me, too. So, I must say farewell to you, Saurlee. I enjoyed our talk. Hurry and catch up with your family."
At that, the mighty Scizor and the tiny Bulbasaur left the cave together. They joined with the rest, and began the long, long journey back to the Tiny Meadow.
"She still will not be happy about this," Hunter told the Scizor as they led the procession. "She may very well be furious."
"She will understand," Adiel reassured the Flareon. "Besides, as fortunate as we would be to have the Call in our possession, removing Adron from the picture is far more important. Which reminds me; report to me on his current whereabouts."
"He has not been sighted around the Great Plateau, nor Iron Town, as of late," Hunter told him. "It makes sense, considering that we know him to be vacationing to the northern lands at the moment. Although, curiously, Cepheus's team tells us that he has caught glimpses of him, on multiple occasions, around Basin Canyon."
"This does not make any sense," Adiel said flatly. "There has been no report that he has returned from his flight to the northern lands. And furthermore, no report that he has returned from his trek to the arctic lands beyond that."
"Maybe he's just in three places at once," the Flareon shrugged, his tone oozing sarcasm. "I wouldn't put it past him…"
Maybe he is, Adiel thought to himself. Brother… how can you be in three places at once? How do you pull it off?
I have not been paying close enough attention to you, Adiel determined. But that will change this very day. Beware, Adron. It is time we met face-to-face again. We have much to discuss.
This time, I will win our little game.
I will find you… Wherever you might be hiding, I will find you…
End of Season III