Fiery Lands and Stormy Seas (Pokemon Watty Award Winner 2014)

Chapter 19

APOLLO

 

            It was the fact that Apollo knew that his sister was alive that he didn’t turn around that day to accompany Chris Marsh to Lavaridge.  That, and his King had commanded him, be it his young nephew or no, to investigate the apparent deaths of Princess Lily and his sister, Luna Love. They had found Lily’s body lying on the beach, her throat viciously opened yet the sea had drained her blood.

He made sure Sarah hadn’t chased after the boy, but he couldn’t find Hector.  Apollo figured he was drunk in some tavern at the loss of his friend, Ryan.  Then, he left when Sarah had sworn on her honor as a Spark to stay in Mauville and await her husband-to-be’s return.

 The letter said nothing of Luna’s body, he thought. He looked at Gallade as they rode into the wooden hall of the Marshes after a half-day’s trip.  One could travel much faster alone than with an army, and even faster, then, with Gallade able to teleport over short distances.  My sister isn’t dead, somebody took her.  And someone powerful, too, judging from the fact that Gardevoir is missing as well…

Gallade used his Psychic powers to open the doors of the wooden hall.  The men inside turned to him immediately.  The sandstone throne was empty, yet Chief Granite from Dewford was still here, as was his daughter Hera.  The young girl ran into his arms and began to sob.

“I’m so sorry, father,” she cried into his arms.  “I should have been there! I should have helped!”  Kirlia hovered over and hugged its Spirit Partner in consolation.

“There, there, my love,” he said with fatherly love as he patted her on the back.  “You likely couldn’t have helped it.  You’re safe though.  Your mother is likely worried sick.”  He broke from the embrace and whistled at a couple of guards in attendance.  “See my daughter back to Oldale at once.”  Hera politely bowed and sniffed as the spear guards and the Crawdaunts that accompanied them walked out of the hall led her away. 

I’ve had enough death in the family for a lifetime, he thought.  If it had been Hera or Venus that was killed I likely would have died of a broken heart.  He looked at Gallade again and the Spirit Pokémon nodded.  Be strong, sister, I will find you.

“Chief Apollo,” old Granite and Aggron lumbered over to him. 

“Chief Granite,” acknowledged Apollo.  “I am sorry for your loss as well, your grandson has lost a match in marriage.”

“It is your family we all pray for,” grumbled the old man.  “From Petalburg to Littleroot and my rock of Dewford the Chiefs of all of the kingdom’s territories send our best wishes and prayers to the Marshes of Slateport and the Loves of Oldale.”

“I thank you,” Apollo said again.  “But not all is lost, I believe my sister to still be alive.  Tell me of everything that happened on that day.  Every detail could be important, leave nothing out.”  Gallade hovered two chairs for the men to sit in as they spoke. 

Chief Granite let out a sigh as Aggron stood still as a statue.  “Nothing in particular… We lost a ship, yes.  Whoever had prepared the ship for departure to Pettalburg had forgotten the lifeboats and sailed the ship into a hidden reef.  The bottom of the hull was knocked out, and the current took every last man on board.  The fishermen say you can still see the mast and sails beneath the surface on sunny days.”

It happened every now and then, Apollo knew.  Some trader or fisherman happened to run their ship into the reef if they were unfamiliar of the waters around Slateport’s harbor.  But to forget the lifeboats? Some idiot this captain must have been.

“The ship, how did you discover it had sunk? If none survived?” he asked.  If this could somehow lead to any clue at all…

“As it happens the same fishermen who saw the boat sink came ashore to find the Princess’s body on the beach,” he said.  “They came to raise the alarm.”

So the ship sinking was close to where they found Lily’s body…  It wasn’t much, but it was a clue nonetheless.  “Where are these men?” Apollo asked of the old Chief.

“In one of our jail cells,” said Granite, who cleared his throat.  “Naturally they were our first suspects.”

“Bring me these men,” Apollo commanded.  “Let me question them and see what they know.”

A short time later, he was walking along the beach with the three fishermen who had been imprisoned, questioning them about what they found and what they saw when the ship went down.  There is no way we could suspect these men, he thought.  They were young, and without any Pokémon alongside them, Spirit bond or no. 

“I know what I saw,” said one.  “That ship leaped out of the water before it fell into the sea.  Didn’t look like no reef accident to me.”

“And then there’s the lifeboats,” said the second.  “The captain didn’t forget to tie them properly! We found them floating on our way back to shore with the ropes cut!”

Apollo listened carefully, and the stories were getting stranger and stranger by the second.   Eventually they arrived at the little beach surrounded by black rocks where it was said that Lily was found.  “Gallade,” the Chief of Oldale said, “see how far back in time you can look here.”

The tall Psychic Pokémon closed its eyes and grew angry.  Apollo could feel the rage inside the Spirit Pokémon.  The young fishermen trembled and flinched. When Gallade opened its eyes, the soft waves glowed and were blown back from the beach in a force of Psychic energy.  Gallade fell to its knees in grief of what it glimpsed in the past.  Apollo went to comfort the spirit Pokémon when something caught his eye.

When the tide was blown back, he caught a flash of crimson two feet under where the water would have been.  He didn’t know why it interested him.  It could just be a Corphish hunting in the shallows, a trick to his eyes. 

Yet in order to find his sister, no rock must be unturned. “Gallade, I need to you move the water one more time, over there,” he said. 

The waves removed themselves like a bubble of air around Apollo as he searched for the glimpse of what was likely nothing… And then he found it.

He had to dig farther into the wet sand to pull it out: a light blue egg, with a deep red spot of crimson splashed across its surface.  “This is Lily’s egg,” he knew.  It must have been lost in the attack, unseen to Granite and his men who investigated.  At first he brought himself to tears, but he had to be strong.

The ship’s accident, the lifeboats with cut ropes, the kidnapping of sister, Luna, and the murder of a Princess… It all happened too close together to be an accident.  Somebody planned it; somebody vicious, cunning, and swift.  Thank god they never found this egg. He tried to wipe off the crimson stain of what could only be blood, but it was caked on too hard to be removed by his hands.  He dared not risk using more force, in case the baby inside of it still lived.

That night, they sent Lily’s body out to sea in a boat and lit it on fire.  The whole town was in attendance.  The nursemaids and women of Slateport cried for her and for the safety of their own children.  This is a good kingdom, Apollo knew.  I will find my sister for them… 

As Lily’s pyre floated out to sea, he lastly thought of her egg.  He had tried to wash the blood off with other tools, to no avail.  It didn’t even look like blood anymore, and the shell was still smooth all the way around. 

He hadn’t told anybody about it.  As far as everybody in Slateport knew, Lily’s egg was lost.  And the more people that believe that, the better.