Mercurial Side Stories

[unknownmercury]

Series of stories detailing Mercury's (Jared's) journey from Fallarbor Town to Sootopolis City.


Part 1


Part 2



Part 3


Part 4


Part 5

[unknownmercury]

Mercurial Side Stories 1/5


The young man opened his eyes and was momentarily blinded. Directly above the comfortable bed he was lying in was a fluorescent light, its whiteness searing his gray eyes. With a groan of pain, he snapped his eyes shut. That brief exposure left his head throbbing.

He sat up slowly, trying to get his bearings. He didn't remember how he'd gotten here. He... Actually, he didn't remember anything. His eyes snapped open again and he lurched to a straightened position. Panic clawed at him, causing him to ignore the frantic beeping coming from beside his bed.

He was in a white room, tile floors. Another bed sat across from his, empty, and machines took up the majority of the extra space. He looked down at the suction cups (electrodes, his mind filled in, but not Electrodes) on his arms and chest, and then up to the rapidly-beeping machine.

He was just tearing the device from his skin, causing the machine to emit one long, steady beep, when the door was flung open and a pink-haired nurse entered rapidly, a medical gurney in front of her.

The two locked eyes for a brief moment, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "You're awake. I thought--"

"Where--" He was cut off by a coughing fit. His throat was dry, parched, and his voice had come out as more of a croak than anything. As the coughing died down, the Nurse handed him a bottle of water.

He drank greedily, emptying the bottle in one long pull before speaking. "Where am I?" His voice was cold and crisp, distant, flat. "How did I get here?"

"You're in Fallarbor Town," the nurse replied, turning the heart monitor off. "The back room of the Pokemon Center, to be precise. Your Lucario dragged you in, in critical condition, before returning to his ball. I healed him and your Lapras."

The trainer frowned. He was a trainer? The chair next to his bed held clothing and a belt with two pokeballs, he now saw. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing shakily.

"Fallarbor Town?" he asked, more to fill the silence than anything. As the nurse started to explain, he removed the hospital gown, grabbing the T-shirt that was his.

"It's in Hoenn region, sir, at the base of Mount Chimney." The nurse looked away as the boy got dressed. It wasn't out of any sort of embarrassment on her part, she just wanted to give him his privacy in this instance.

He finished dressing in silence, adjusting the belt so it slung off of one hip. He wouldn't have to bend his arm in order to access the pokemon there. He glanced at the black leather duster that was on the chair and a smile graced his lips for the first time.

"I was wearing this?" he asked, picking it up.

"Yes, sir. Before I discharge you, I do need to ask a few questions, just to make sure I haven't missed anything. While you seem to be in good condition, you never can be too careful."

He sighed, looking to her as he pulled the jacket over his shoulders. "Alright, I'm not in any real hurry, I don't think."

"That's excellent. Please, have a seat." As he sat down, she picked up a clipboard from the end of his bed. "Alright, sir. You were in pretty bad shape when you were brought in. Multiple bruises and lacerations. Are you feeling stiff or sore at all?"

He bent and stretched for a few seconds before giving a small shrug. "A little bit, but it's bearable."

"Good, good. You also had a rather large bump on your head. We were unable to wake you up, so it's not entirely outside the realm of possibility that you have a concussion. Are you experiencing any headaches, nausea, dizziness, or fatigue?"

"No," he responded, before adding, "but I... can't remember anything." He cleared his throat. "That might be related."

The nurse stared in silence for a few seconds, before glancing at her chart. "Yes, sir, that would most certainly be related. Can you give me an example of something you are having trouble remembering? Names, places, or anything like that."

"Well, I guess the big one is my name, isn't it? I don't remember it. Or what I was doing around here. I don't remember anything besides waking up." He frowned. "Except for certain words and terms. Lucario and Lapras and the like."

The nurse nodded softly. "Well, sir, it sounds like you're suffering from post-traumatic amnesia. A blow to the head could cause some damage to the area of your brain responsible for memories, including long-term memories. However, there is nothing to worry about. While most cases of post-traumatic memory loss are long-term, none so far have been permanent."

He raised an eyebrow. "How long is 'long-term?' Are we talking a week or...?"

"About 45 percent of patients lose their memories of previous events for over a month before recovering it, though it's not outside the realm of possibilities for it to last... longer." She cleared her throat. "But not to worry, sir. I'm sure you'll regain them soon!"

[unknownmercury]

Mercurial Side Stories 2/5

Mercury- he'd learned his name from the ID in his pocket- walked out of Fallarbor town, Anubis at his side. The Lucario had been in an engraved pokeball with his name on it. He had been overjoyed to see Mercury initially, but was disheartened upong learning of his trainer's condtion.

Another thing that Mercury had found in his pocket was a piece of paper. It was a list of towns, cities, and islands, each with a date beside it. The list ran in chronological order, and in the top left it read '2 of 4.' But he only had the one page.

The next date was three weeks from the present, and the city was Sootopolis. He had taken a good look at the map in the Pokemon Center, affixing it firmly in his mind. Funnily enough, he seemed to have a good memory.

His plan was to walk from Fallarbor town and head south. That would take him to Mauville, and from there, he had two options for hitting the ocean. Slateport was a little closer to Mauville, but he would spend longer at sea, which meant sleeping on the back of his Lapras if he couldn't find a ship going to Sootopolis.

So, he would take the longer land journey, walking from Mauville to Lilycove City. From there, it should be a short ride to the walled city. He just hoped he could get there soon enough. The ash was falling heavily as he left the small town, and a sense of forboding settled in the pit of his stomach.

----

That night, he dreamed he was a child. Though there was snow on the ground, he was barefoot, wearing only shorts and a tank top. The cold made him shiver, but he had to push that aside.

A voice spoke from somewhere he could not see. Deep and commanding, the voice made the young Mercury fearful. "You can't come inside until you've found him. You are not to move from that spot."

The game was familiar, though it had been initially confusing to the child. Hide and seek, without the seeking. Instead, this person - his father, perhaps? - wanted him to close his eyes and concentrate. He wasn't looking for his Riolu; he was looking for its aura.

The cold made things harder for him. He had to concentrate in order to see auras, and the snow that numbed his legs was a powerful distraction. Still, Mercury was used to the game by now. He set his feet wide apart, and closed his eyes. The switch from seeing and seeing came quicker than it used to, though the delay was still noticable.

He reopened his eyes after a few quiet seconds, and then pointed to a group of trees. "He's hiding over there." As he said the words, Anubis came bounding out of the trees, as eager as his trainer to go back indoors.

Neither knew that it would still be several long hours before their daily training was compl

[unknownmercury]

Mercurial Side Stories 3/5

The trip from Fallarbor to Mauville had taken longer than he'd thought. The volcanic ash had come down heavily, obscuring vision beyond a few feet at times. Added onto that fact were several battles with wild pokemon and overzealous trainers. And, for some reason, the map had made no mention of the enormous desert on route 111.

What should have been a three-day trek, at most, had turned into a two-week slog, and he still had four or five days before reaching Lilycove. Getting to Sootopolis seemed like a fantasy, but he wasn't about to give up.

He got Anubis healed at the Mauville Pokemon Center before leaving through the city's eastern exit. He wished that Hoenn's trails and paths were more straightforward and connected. As it was, he had taken a long detour south from Fallarbor to Mauville, and was about to take another, equally long detour north to pass through Fortree, before going south again and then east.

He shook his head. He could go straight east and cut across the body of water that Mt. Pyre rested in, but Anubis had seemed unnerved at the prospect of ghosts, even ghost types. Mercury could hardly blame him; their auras were odd, and they couldn't be touched by most of Anubis' moveset.

He smiled softly, thinking about what he remembered compared to what he didn't. Name? He'd be clueless without his trainer card. Age? Nothing. But anything pokemon related? Names, types, appearances, weaknesses, strengths? He had that down pat.

Still, maybe he should risk the shortcut. Anubis wouldn't like it, but they would save precious time, as much as a full day of travel, and Anubis' aura sphere would be able to disrupt them.

With steely resolve, he passed the juncture where he should have turned north, instead continuing east. It was only after an hour and a half of walking, the moon starting to rise behind him, that he came to the blockade.

A ledge, just slightly taller than his knees. He cursed, turning around and starting the trudge back in the direction of Mauville. Everyone knew that you could hop off ledges - it was a little scary, but made a nice shortcut - but climbing up them? Couldn't be done. Just like those small trees that blocked your path. Only the HM cut would clear them. You certainly couldn't burn them!

So it was that he wasted three hours attempting to game the Hoenn route system.

[unknownmercury]

Mercurial Side Stories 4/5


It was two days before Mercury and Anubis entered Fortree City. It had been a relatively smooth travel after the failed detour. Fortree City itself was odd, to say the least. Most of the buildings were built in the densely packed trees.

The two moved quietly through the town, climbing the ladders and tromping over the bridges as quickly as possible. They had no need to rest, no reason to slow down at all. As they were stepping out onto Route 120, a voice called out to them. "Wait!"

They turned, instantly on guard. Anubis' aura appeared around his hands, ready to be turned into the Aura Sphere attack. An older gentleman was walking towards them, hunched over his cane. "Are you heading towards Lilycove?" he asked.

Mercury nodded. "That's right. Is there a problem?"

"Just be careful out there. Something has been attacking trainers in the long grass along this route. A few people and their pokémon have been injured fairly badly. Stick to the road as much as possible."

Mercury scowled. "Fine. Anything else?" He was eager to get out of there. He only had five days to arrive in Sootopolis, and any delay set him on edge.

The old man frowned at him and shook his head. Mercury left the city with a sigh of exasperation.

Anubis watched his trainer with concern. Mercury had been growing ever more irritable with every detour and delay, every passing day. From experience, the aura pokémon knew that his trainer got reckless when he was irritated. That recklessness was going to manifest itself soon, Anubis felt.

Light grey clouds rolled overhead, blotting out the sun as the first few drops of rain started to fall. The Lucario knew that they would walk through all but the worst of storms without seeking shelter. Even when they were younger and new to traveling, Mercury would push through heavy snow and even hail.

To Anubis, this particular shower felt dangerous. Between his friend's mood, the rain, and the ominous warning given by the old man, they could expect nothing less than a deadly fight before the day was over.

Sure enough, Mercury soon decided to abandon the beaten path, opting for shortcuts through the long grass which towered over their heads. During one such stint, Lucario noticed a flash of some creature's aura to one side. He spun quickly, summoning a bone club to his hand.

As the creature lunged, Anubis swung as hard as he could. There was a soft crack as he hit the Kecleon fully in the face. He spun, dropping to one knee and using the club to strike the opponent's legs once, twice. The chameleon creature was sent tumbling backwards and turned to flee.

Anubis relaxed slightly, confident that the threat was gone. As he was turning back to Mercury, the wind picked up.

A swathe of grass was levelled, the razor wind attack lifting Anubis off of his feet and sending him sprawling. The bone club flew off into the overgrown field. As he was rising to his feet, he saw a disturbing sight.

Mercury was laying on the ground, bleeding from his leg. Between Anubis and his trainer was a mostly black, scarred form with patches of white fur. The black blade on its head was stained with spots of red-brown, dried blood, its claws covered with it.

The Absol roared, rushing at Anubis, blade glowing purple. As it neared, Anubis sprang aside. The attack knicked his leg and he spun through the air once more. Luckily the grass was so overgrown here, or he would be hurting from the impacts with the ground.

The Absol charged again, attacking with another Psycho Cut. Anubis wreathed his hands in aura. As he rose to his feet, he brought them together on either side of the Absol's blade. Psychic energy pulsed through him, the blade cut into his hands, but he held on.

He rose to his full height, lifting the Absol's front feet off the ground by its primary weapon. With a roar, he brought a knee up into the Absol's stomach before tossing it away from himself.

The dark-type rolled as it landed, coming to its feet quickly. Anubis gathered Aura into a sphere and sent it forward. The Absol, starting to charge, ran face first into the attack.

Anubis smirked a bit, knowing that the fighting-type move would deal extreme damage to the dark type. This fight was over.

Except the Absol kept moving forward, spurred on by the pain. It hit Anubis with another Psycho Cut attack, opening a gash down his leg. Crying out, Anubis retaliated with a Counter attack, bringing his fists down on his opponent's head.

The Absol staggered from the blow, and Anubis brought his fists back up from the follow-through, summoning another bone club as he did. The ground-type move caught the Absol in the chin, sending it flying head over heels.

It landed and moved no more. The Lucario knew that it was still alive; its aura gave that much away. He hadn't taken a life, but he feared he would have to. The Absol's aura was tainted, lines of black and red shooting through the more-usual purple, showing madness, a mind at war with itself. The shape was twisted and malformed, a sign of great emotional distress.

Such a creature could not be allowed to remain, attacking trainers and pokémon in such a vicious manner. Lucario approached, wielding the bone club like an executioner's blade. Just as he was about to end the miserable creature, a ball flew past, and the Absol was encapsulated by a bright red light.

The pokéball landed and shook rapidly before chiming. Mercury limped over, pressing a hand to the wound on his leg. He knelt, picking up the ball, and looked up at Anubis. "I couldn't let you... Anubis, I couldn't let you kill it. Even if it is... wrong."

Anubis fell to his knees beside his trainer, and, in a rare act of affection, wrapped his friend in a hug. Rain intermingled with tears as they each calmed the other's fear.

[unknownmercury]

Mercurial Side Stories 5/5

The pair made it to Lilycove with only a day to spare. Mercury wasn't sure how fast his Lapras could travel, but he would press on until he got to Sootopolis City. He returned Anubis, wanting to put as little weight on the water-type's back as possible. They left Lilycove after a very brief rest at the pokémon center.

Lapras went as fast as she could, feeling her trainer's urgency. The ocean currents pressed against her, as if it were retreating from something. Terrified water pokémon slowed their journey, attacking repeatedly in their panic.

Mercury just spurred Lapras on faster, trying to avoid as much of the fighting as possible. They made little progress that first day, fighting both the tides and hordes of Tentacool. Mercury rested on Lapras' back, getting a fitful night of sleep on her bumpy shell.

Lapras continued the journey through the night, only stopping for brief naps. She had never understood why humans slept for such long periods of time.

They made better time the next day. The ocean had calmed down, and by the time Mercury felt the need to rest again, he could see the walls of Sootopolis peeking over the southern horizon.

He spent another rough night on Lapras' back, dreaming of angry voices and urgent warnings, of great behemoths on the move. He woke before sunrise and spurred Lapras on once more. They traveled in silence for hours.

As the sun started to rise, lighting the sky, Mercury's heart sank. To the south was a tower of smoke and dust, hanging over Sootopolis city like a storm cloud. Nevertheless, they pressed on.

Several hours later, they passed a ship packed full of people. Moving to ride along side them for a ways, Mercury got the attention of some passengers and asked what had happened.

They informed him that the city was being partially evacuated. It had come under attack by a pokémon resembling Groudon, and was mostly ruins. The evacuation was still ongoing, and some people were refusing to leave.

Mercury thanked them for the information and continued his journey. He hoped that even with the city destroyed, being there would jog something in his memory and tell him why he had the list in his pocket.

They arrived in the early evening. Seeing the destruction, he had to wonder if he was responsible. Could he have stopped this, if he'd been here on time? If he'd been more careful going along Route 120, or if he had pushed on through that sandstorm in the desert, would Sootopolis still be standing?

He began to walk through the city, hoping to find something that would give him consolation, tell him that he was not the cause of all this. He pulled out the list as he walked, letting his feet go where they would.

As he approached a large tree towards the north of town, a girl's voice spoke to him. "Excuse me, sir?"