Categories > Games > Pokemon > The Last Piplup
~2~
‘Flame’
The air felt cold and miserable, never how it usually felt in the Fire Camp. The weather had changed so abruptly that everyone had noticed the shift in the wind. How the rain pierced our roofs to our homes was frightening. What had caused this catastrophe? What could be so terrible that it would change our lives forever- or what would seem like an eternity? How would we ever cope with the changes in this normal weather for everyone else? They would all think we were crazy when this was an important shift in our lives.
I know. That seemed very repetitive and confusing. You may not even know what’s going on right now. To put it simply, a stronger force has changed the weather. It never rains in the Fire Camp. But now the change had taken course, and we were all sheltering inside our homes. The leaders of our camp were all discussing quietly but nervously. They knew something we didn’t. And I wanted to find out what.
I was sitting on my bed, staring out the window into a dark, cold, and wet world. No one played by the bonfire. No one waved happily to their neighbor. No, it was all wrong. No one was outside at all. This weather has changed us. And the change was not good.
I sat there for a while, thinking. Thinking about how my life would go on in these confusing times. Then I decided.
I was going to eavesdrop.
I slipped off my bedside, wrapped myself into a tight cocoon, and quietly left my room. I slowly made my way downstairs, and dove into the room next to the one that my parents and the leaders were talking in. I could hear their voices faintly, but I knew every word they said.
“...and we’re worried about her. She hasn’t said anything since it started raining. And what if he has returned? How will we protect her?”
When I heard my mother’s voice, I stopped cold. They were talking about me, and how to keep me safe.
Safe from what? I thought. What are they trying to protect me from?
“Yes, we are sure that something has indeed been summoned, may it be Giritina or not,” I recognized one of the leader’s rough and raspy voices. “It might be another looming danger. Remember the story of The King’s Heir?”
Both my parents gasped. “Do you think that… That… That thing is back? He was infected by that dark illness… He could be extremely dangerous… I’ve heard that he might be one of Giritina’s most loyal servants… And if someone out there is strong enough to change the weather completely, how would we handle it when his leader returns?”
Giratina? I’ve only heard of him in Legends! They say he can cause darkness over the whole earth in the blink of an eye! I thought. And I’ve never even heard of The King’s Heir! But I know how I will… I’ll have to look at the library!
But if I was going outside, I would have to keep it a secret from my parents. If they knew, they would probably try to stop me from going. I dashed upstairs.
If I go through the window…
I burst open the door to my room. I scrambled over my bed and to the windowsill, cranking the levers. The window swung open with a loud clang. Rain splashed into my eyes and spattered onto my bed. The wind howled outside, buffeting my face and making my warm feathers fluffed up and wet. I swung myself over the sill and closed the window sharply behind me. I slid down the wall slowly, careful not to fall. My feet landed on the drenched grass below and I pelted through the pouring rain and towards the closed library. Hopefully, the door wasn’t locked.
But it probably was. Because the library was closed.
But I knew of a secret entrance. The librarian told me to only use it if I absolutely needed to visit the library. I guess this situation could fit into those guidelines. Instead of going to the front door, I ran to the back and spotted it: The dark wood against the light. The boarded-up hole that led into the Employers Only section. I pulled up the flap and the tunnel was revealed. I dove into it, grateful for the warmth and dryness of the inside.
I crawled carefully through the tunnel, endless darkness ahead. It didn’t mean the tunnel was long. It meant that the lights were off. I emerged into a dusty, small room, brooms lined across the wall and shut-down computers set along a tiny desk with a chair set at the front of the black screen.
I headed towards the door and swung it open, emerging into a large clearing behind a long desk. I didn’t stay there long enough to take in the details I usually never saw. I walked to the gaps at the sides and looked into the looming shelves above my head.
Fantasy, Non-fiction, Fiction, Biography, Cookbook, Games, Movies… History! I counted the names on the bookshelves until I reached the History section.
I walked into the tight corridor in between the two shelves full of endless rows of books. I looked for books like Old Legends of Darkness, or Horrifying True Stories. I finally decided and grabbed a thick book, its cover dusty with age. I dusted it off with my wing and the binding shined brightly with gold. The cover was a leathery texture and maroon, and when I opened up the pages, they were yellow with time and smelled like fresh markers.
I flipped through the Table of Contents until I found the Title The King’s Heir.
There was once a king over the Water Camp. His name was Empoleon. He had many sons and daughters, all eligible for the role of Queen or King. One day, the laws were changed and all Camps had to choose someone to succeed the leader. Empoleon discussed with the Queen, Prinplup, to choose their successor. At the time, there was a horrible spreading illness that infected all with dark intentions of the heart and made them into something unrecognizable. They are made into dark incarnations of evil. One of the King’s sons, by the name of Flake, was infected by this disease. He had a small ambition at the time to eventually become King, and the dark illness seized him in their clutches. The King and Queen were worried for their son, and by soon time, Flake had murdered all of his brothers and sisters so he was the only one eligible to become the next King. He killed them all until only one egg was left. The King took the egg and threw it into a river to protect it, and Flake, nothing like he used to be, murdered both the King and Queen, and he became ruler over the Water Camp. Some say there is still a chance the single egg survived, but most are sure that the egg hatched and the small Piplup drowned.
I stared in horror at the page where the story ended. There was no way something like that existed. Was this what had changed the weather? Was this incarnation of evil released onto us? How would we survive if something like that was free? The story left me with more questions than answers. I put the book back into its place on the shelf and headed to the secret entrance. I had to do something about this. Even if I was just a young Torchic, I knew some fighting moves to defend myself. I would find The Last Piplup, help them, and defeat Giritina and all his servants.
All I had to do first was make sure my parents never knew about my plan.
‘Flame’
The air felt cold and miserable, never how it usually felt in the Fire Camp. The weather had changed so abruptly that everyone had noticed the shift in the wind. How the rain pierced our roofs to our homes was frightening. What had caused this catastrophe? What could be so terrible that it would change our lives forever- or what would seem like an eternity? How would we ever cope with the changes in this normal weather for everyone else? They would all think we were crazy when this was an important shift in our lives.
I know. That seemed very repetitive and confusing. You may not even know what’s going on right now. To put it simply, a stronger force has changed the weather. It never rains in the Fire Camp. But now the change had taken course, and we were all sheltering inside our homes. The leaders of our camp were all discussing quietly but nervously. They knew something we didn’t. And I wanted to find out what.
I was sitting on my bed, staring out the window into a dark, cold, and wet world. No one played by the bonfire. No one waved happily to their neighbor. No, it was all wrong. No one was outside at all. This weather has changed us. And the change was not good.
I sat there for a while, thinking. Thinking about how my life would go on in these confusing times. Then I decided.
I was going to eavesdrop.
I slipped off my bedside, wrapped myself into a tight cocoon, and quietly left my room. I slowly made my way downstairs, and dove into the room next to the one that my parents and the leaders were talking in. I could hear their voices faintly, but I knew every word they said.
“...and we’re worried about her. She hasn’t said anything since it started raining. And what if he has returned? How will we protect her?”
When I heard my mother’s voice, I stopped cold. They were talking about me, and how to keep me safe.
Safe from what? I thought. What are they trying to protect me from?
“Yes, we are sure that something has indeed been summoned, may it be Giritina or not,” I recognized one of the leader’s rough and raspy voices. “It might be another looming danger. Remember the story of The King’s Heir?”
Both my parents gasped. “Do you think that… That… That thing is back? He was infected by that dark illness… He could be extremely dangerous… I’ve heard that he might be one of Giritina’s most loyal servants… And if someone out there is strong enough to change the weather completely, how would we handle it when his leader returns?”
Giratina? I’ve only heard of him in Legends! They say he can cause darkness over the whole earth in the blink of an eye! I thought. And I’ve never even heard of The King’s Heir! But I know how I will… I’ll have to look at the library!
But if I was going outside, I would have to keep it a secret from my parents. If they knew, they would probably try to stop me from going. I dashed upstairs.
If I go through the window…
I burst open the door to my room. I scrambled over my bed and to the windowsill, cranking the levers. The window swung open with a loud clang. Rain splashed into my eyes and spattered onto my bed. The wind howled outside, buffeting my face and making my warm feathers fluffed up and wet. I swung myself over the sill and closed the window sharply behind me. I slid down the wall slowly, careful not to fall. My feet landed on the drenched grass below and I pelted through the pouring rain and towards the closed library. Hopefully, the door wasn’t locked.
But it probably was. Because the library was closed.
But I knew of a secret entrance. The librarian told me to only use it if I absolutely needed to visit the library. I guess this situation could fit into those guidelines. Instead of going to the front door, I ran to the back and spotted it: The dark wood against the light. The boarded-up hole that led into the Employers Only section. I pulled up the flap and the tunnel was revealed. I dove into it, grateful for the warmth and dryness of the inside.
I crawled carefully through the tunnel, endless darkness ahead. It didn’t mean the tunnel was long. It meant that the lights were off. I emerged into a dusty, small room, brooms lined across the wall and shut-down computers set along a tiny desk with a chair set at the front of the black screen.
I headed towards the door and swung it open, emerging into a large clearing behind a long desk. I didn’t stay there long enough to take in the details I usually never saw. I walked to the gaps at the sides and looked into the looming shelves above my head.
Fantasy, Non-fiction, Fiction, Biography, Cookbook, Games, Movies… History! I counted the names on the bookshelves until I reached the History section.
I walked into the tight corridor in between the two shelves full of endless rows of books. I looked for books like Old Legends of Darkness, or Horrifying True Stories. I finally decided and grabbed a thick book, its cover dusty with age. I dusted it off with my wing and the binding shined brightly with gold. The cover was a leathery texture and maroon, and when I opened up the pages, they were yellow with time and smelled like fresh markers.
I flipped through the Table of Contents until I found the Title The King’s Heir.
There was once a king over the Water Camp. His name was Empoleon. He had many sons and daughters, all eligible for the role of Queen or King. One day, the laws were changed and all Camps had to choose someone to succeed the leader. Empoleon discussed with the Queen, Prinplup, to choose their successor. At the time, there was a horrible spreading illness that infected all with dark intentions of the heart and made them into something unrecognizable. They are made into dark incarnations of evil. One of the King’s sons, by the name of Flake, was infected by this disease. He had a small ambition at the time to eventually become King, and the dark illness seized him in their clutches. The King and Queen were worried for their son, and by soon time, Flake had murdered all of his brothers and sisters so he was the only one eligible to become the next King. He killed them all until only one egg was left. The King took the egg and threw it into a river to protect it, and Flake, nothing like he used to be, murdered both the King and Queen, and he became ruler over the Water Camp. Some say there is still a chance the single egg survived, but most are sure that the egg hatched and the small Piplup drowned.
I stared in horror at the page where the story ended. There was no way something like that existed. Was this what had changed the weather? Was this incarnation of evil released onto us? How would we survive if something like that was free? The story left me with more questions than answers. I put the book back into its place on the shelf and headed to the secret entrance. I had to do something about this. Even if I was just a young Torchic, I knew some fighting moves to defend myself. I would find The Last Piplup, help them, and defeat Giritina and all his servants.
All I had to do first was make sure my parents never knew about my plan.
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