The Mystic Seer of the Future"

Indie Morty RP blog Following the HG/SS continuity

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

I suddenly remembered this blog and I kinda felt like picking it back up again.

[dragoncaper]

“Well, Blackthorn is beautiful, of course.” The way the sun hit the river in the early evening, the way the fog clung to the pines and snaked its way through town well into the morning… “But I think whoever landscaped there had something a bit less tranquil and a bit more … imposing in mind.”

There were a few carefully-tended deciduous trees in the city–maple, ginko, hardy plum–but it was the evergreens that dominated Blackthorn’s landscape. They were beautiful and fragrant and constant, like a promise of security throughout and surrounding the town. So very different from the transitional, ephemeral beauty of momiji or spring blossoms.

He trailed behind Morty as the gym leader lead the way through the city. His eyes lingered on the buildings’ signature styles and tiled roofs. Ecruteak definitely had a special sort of atmosphere. It was clearly a town of history, but it didn’t seem so much old as timeless. But with the ruins of the Burned Tower, and the prevalence of Ghosts, that timelessness was also a little bit … creepy.

A silence had fallen as they walked, and Lance was abruptly very keen on breaking it. “So, uh, what’s been … new around here?”

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

“Imposing, huh...” Morty smiled, and turned back at Lance,” I still think there’s some beauty in that.” Which makes that cousin of yours the perfect leader! It’s how Morty thought of how continuing that sentence, but he wouldn’t want Lance to get wrong ideas, so it was best to leave that last line out.

It was sort of funny. He thought the champion’s visit would interrupt his own visit to Bellchime Trail. But now the two of them were heading there. If Morty told the truth, could he perhaps convince Johtoh’s hero to join him on a small rest? Maybe it was best to wait for later.

Lance looking around the town was noticed the moment his eyes were directed at the burned tower. Not all people were as used to ghosts as Morty or the people of Ecruteak were. It wouldn’t be surprising if Lance was wondering about them. 

“Don’t worry they were mostly harmles-”, his smile froze and that sentence stopped, as it clashed with the other’s question. It looks like Lance had other things in his mind after all..

“D- Did you know? The girls will perform tonight!”

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

//College has been eating me alive.//

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

 psychicmasterwill:

“Mhm~” Again Will gave the pokemon a pat, both out of affection and to calm the other down. He knew how protective Xatu could be, and despite normally being stoic, the pokemon could turn aggressive should Will be threatened. Therefore, it was best to calm his friend before anything happened.

When Gengar appeared, Will simply stared before his lip twitched. Laughter eventually followed, and despite his current state, it was genuine and not forced. The pokemon seemed to be friendly enough, or was as mischievous as Will himself was.

“I see,” he said, looking at the pokemon in amusement. “Pleasure to meet you~” It also seemed the pokemon had a personality in contrast to his trainer, kind of like himself and Xatu, which made things all the more amusing.

Xatu, however, did not find the situation humerous, instead keeping his gaze carefully trained on the pokemon in front of him. When Gengar appeared, the pokemon shot him a warning look, prompting Will to give Xatu another pat.

‘There’s no need to get defensive,’ he said, communicating to his pokemon via telepathy. ‘I am sure he is harmless.’

Xatu, reluctantly relaxed and lowered his guard a bit.

Will’s burts of laughter was certainly... surprising. Morty had never imagined that someone who gave off such mysterious vibes could laugh so brightly, So it was true that you should never judge a book by it’s cover. Gengar seemed to appreciate that loud reaction much more, and even joined the laughter.

“Good news. He likes you already.” Morty couldn’t help but smile. With a sight like that, who wouldn’t?

Gengar returned Xatu’s look with one of his own. Though, it was less of a “warning” look and more of a "curiosity” look. Morty was no telepath, but knowing his friend, he wasn’t done with the tricks.

Gengar turned away from the psychich duo, and when he turned back, he seemed completly different. He now had a much more serious and focused expression. The purple pokémon then stood beside his trainer, much like Xatu stood next to his own. It wouldn’t take long until they noticed Gengar’s attempt at an impersonation.

“Can you spot the difference?”, completed Morty.

[n-plus-1]

Gengar’s ‘friendly gestures’ were not lost on Reshiram, though their meaning somewhat was. The truth dragon had little experience interacting with that line of Ghosts, and even less in modern times. 'This Is A Customary Greeting?’ he confirmed with N.

N could only shrug. “For Gengar, it seems to be.”

Reshiram seemed skeptical, but cautiously extended his tongue in Gengar’s direction. Despite the legend’s overall regal appearance, with his tongue stuck out and his winged arms held low, he looked suspiciously like an enormous white dog.

'You look ridiculous.’ Though Zed’s words weren’t intelligible for Morty’s ears, the rolling of his eyes conveyed his meaning pretty clearly. The Zoroark sidled closer to N–then paused, sniffed his human brother, turned his nose in the direction of the other human and Ghost pokémon and sniffed again.

Something shifted in the Zoroark’s appearance, as though the image of the fox leaned sideways without moving–and then there was another young man standing there instead. Or maybe nothing had happened at all. Maybe the human had always been there, and the fox had just been a trick of the light. The eyes were the same, after all: bright turquoise and deeply skeptical.

“ … You fed him,” Zed confirmed. Only the slightest offness suggested that the words, too, might be an illusion. Might. Maybe. “Thanks.”

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

Reshiram’s response was unexpected to even Gengar. There was never a non-ghost pokémon who replied like that. The two stared at Reshiram at surprise, before breaking into laughter. Even Morty, who seemed to be the quiet type, let out a laugh as loud as his partner’s 

“Ah, I see... You really are a legend...”

Soon enough, the surprise would be about something else. Morty had only heard about Zoroark’s illusions, but he wasn’t expecting to witness one that day. While he could only stare in surprise, Gengar laughed and applauded Zed’s trick. That expression soon changed into a content smile, “It was my pleasure.”

Morty then turned back to N, “I take it you’ll be leaving soon”, the assumption came from the two legend’s appearance. They wouldn’t show up at the city, and it’s not like N would would leave his friends alone. However... “Are you sure you don’t want to stick around? There will be fireworks soon enough.”

[psychicmasterwill-deactivated20]

While Will didn’t fully catch on to the Gengar’s intentions, he had enough of an idea that warranted having his partner by his side. While the typing was a disadvantage, maybe having his partner at his side would be enough of a deterrent to keep Gengar from fighting.

Though in hindsight it might end up being an incentive to fight.

Finally managing to crack a smile, Will reached into his pocket and pulled out a pokeball, expanding it before releasing the pokemon inside. In a matter of seconds, a large, condor like pokemon emerged, eyes locked onto Will’s own as he stretched his wings.

Xatu, now released, moved to Will’s side and looked to the newcomers. He first focused on Morty before looking to where Gengar was hiding, fixing the ghost type with a warning stare. He knew Will was not up to a battle, and being as protective as he was, Xatu was going to keep the other at bay.

“This is my partner, Xatu,” he said, smiling as he gently patted Xatu on the head. “He’s also a dear friend of mine.”

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

“So that’s your Xatu.” The cornerstone of Will’s team. No, more than that. Morty could see, even if Will hadn’t said it himself, Morty could feel a strong bond between those two. 

“...”

It is said that Xatu could gaze upon the sun without blinking. And while there wasn’t a reason to doubt this, one could not undertand the true intensity of the bird’s stare until it was towards you, as Morty soon learned.

Fortunately, his eyes shifted to someone else. It seems that Gengar couldn’t hide from those all-seeing-eyes. His cover blown, and with a powerful pokémon there, Gengar would probably reveal himself soon.

At first there only two red eyes. Then there was a mouth. The mouth formed a wide grin. And it all spun, spun, spun and spun until a large mass of purple gas formed the body. 

“And this is my partner. Gengar.” Following his introduction, Gengar greeted the psychic duo by sticking his tongue out. “Yes, that’s how he says hello.”

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

Oh, Lance. If only you knew you weren’t the only one feeling awkward. When it came to to hiding your nervourness under a calm facade, Morty was a master. 

A part of him wanted to tell Lance to come back some other time, but damn, that guy came was doing his best to make a conversation. If he was to be sent away… Well, probably won’t do any good for the poor Champion. 

“It’s okay I was just on my way to the Bell Tower.” That was half truth. It’s not like he could tell Lance he was gonna slack off at the trail, “But like I said, nothing that can’t be left for later.” Now that one was true.

Pulling his scarf up a bit, Morty tried to hide a short yawn, “Cold, isn’t it?”, Morty wondered if there was a good way to tell what he really has been  doing the whole day. Maybe he wouldn’t have to worry about being direct. After all, judging by his relationship woth his cousin, he would understand it too well. That was a dragon not even Johto’s greatest dragon master could tame.

“So what’s this all about? Just a casual visit or is it official business?”

[dragoncaper]

“Ah, well … Both, I suppose. It’s not official,” Lance was quick to amend. He let one hand escape from his pockets and held it up, open-palmed in refutation. “But it was on my calendar. Like I said, it’s … been a while. If I schedule it, I’m more likely not to get pulled off for something … ”

No need to mention that he’d rescheduled this three times already. It was a recurring event on his pokégear calendar: every three months, an afternoon blocked off to remind himself to visit. But this was the last reminder of the year. How ridiculous. He shouldn’t need that much prodding. He shouldn’t.

“But, ah, it’s–well, as far as I’m concerned, you’re off the clock.” Was he, actually? Lance had caught Morty’s half-hidden yawn; maybe it had been a full day already. Or … were Ghost trainers more nocturnal? Night seemed like the prime time for Ghost-types to appear, so it could follow …

Nope. Nope, he had been doing so well avoiding thinking about all the Ghosts that could be hiding around the Gym. Disguised as lamps, lurking in walls, floating invisibly right beside him, even reaching incorporeally through his body–

Lance tugged up the collar of his cape, hoping Morty would attribute that shiver to the cold. Subject change. Now. “The Bell Tower? I kept meaning to come down to visit the Trail this fall. I’m sure I’ve missed all the leaves. We have some lovely momiji in Blackthorn, but nothing matches the colors on Bellchime Trail.”

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

“Oh?” Both, huh? What could we make out of that? Has the champion been meaning to visit Ecruteak for some time now, but his plans always got cancelled for one reason or the other? Probably. And since he was coming by, why not to pay a visit to the resident Gym Leader? 

But, ah, it’s–well, as far as I’m concerned, you’re off the clock.

“You could say that.” And he really was in a way. No challengers had shown up all day and one would doubt (or rather, hope) that the girls would be cruel enough to ask him anything else. The closest thing he had to duty at the moment was to be with Lance, and honestly, at the moment it felt less of an inspection and more of a visit from a friend.

Morty’s took notice of Lance’s slight shiver. So he really was cold. Maybe that’s why he brought a cape. Although one had to wonder if a coat wouldn’t be... simpler?

“That’s something we can agree with”, The momiji... Was that what this was all about? Morty let out a chuckle. “Not to demean Blackthorn’s, of course.” as he began walking towards the tower he turned back to his guest, “I’m sure there are still some leaves for you still to see. Let’s go.” 

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

“Valentine’s Day is always so fun.”, said Morty, eating a box of chocolate, while sitting next to other boxes of chocolate.

[dragoncaper]

This was never so awkward with the others. But, then, he’d spent more time with the others–mostly. He’d actually found some common ground with them. He hadn’t the slightest idea what Morty liked outside of League work. Not that he knew anything more about Sabrina, but she at least knew why he was there without him explaining. That was disconcerting as hell, but at least it was convenient.

Lance tugged at the clasp of his cape absently. How exactly should he put this? He couldn’t remember what he’d said last time he visited. Hey, no worries, this is just me double-checking that you’re an upstanding kind of guy and not spearheading some huge criminal organization and planning to take over the regions! Yep, because that would go over so well.

It wasn’t odd not to find Morty in the gym. It wasn’t as though he continually sat up in his challenge room; that would be a ridiculous waste of time, not to mention incredibly boring. That’s what pokégear were for, after all. If a challenger looked like they might make it through, someone would call. There were plenty of other duties to attend to, in the meantime.

Likewise, a gym leader wasn’t just a head of a gym. They were a community member, a local public figure. Morty surely had other responsibilities around Ekruteak–and if he hadn’t been attending to them, it very well might have been his day off. (Was it Morty’s day off? Drat, had he remembered to check that?)

Lance gave up fiddling with his cape clasp and dragged that hand through his hair. “I am sorry if I’m interrupting. I’m sure it’s pretty busy around here, what with New Year’s coming up soon. Clair will probably hunt me down if I don’t show up in Blackthorn soon to help out with preparations back home.” Mentioning his cousin brought her voice immediately to mind: What are you doing? Stop messing with your hair.

He stuffed his hands in his jean pockets. “So I completely understand if you’re busy. Or–if there’s something I can help out with, I’d be more than glad to do that, too. But this is incredibly awkward, so I clearly need to get to know you better.”

… Aaaaand he’d said that out loud. Yep. Excellent job, oh noble Champion.

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

Oh, Lance. If only you knew you weren’t the only one feeling awkward. When it came to to hiding your nervourness under a calm facade, Morty was a master. 

A part of him wanted to tell Lance to come back some other time, but damn, that guy came was doing his best to make a conversation. If he was to be sent away... Well, probably won’t do any good for the poor Champion. 

“It’s okay I was just on my way to the Bell Tower.” That was half truth. It’s not like he could tell Lance he was gonna slack off at the trail, “But like I said, nothing that can’t be left for later.” Now that one was true.

Pulling his scarf up a bit, Morty tried to hide a short yawn, “Cold, isn’t it?”, Morty wondered if there was a good way to tell what he really has been  doing the whole day. Maybe he wouldn’t have to worry about being direct. After all, judging by his relationship woth his cousin, he would understand it too well. That was a dragon not even Johto’s greatest dragon master could tame.

“So what’s this all about? Just a casual visit or is it official business?”

[n-plus-1]

“Route 38?” N confirmed. “To the West? Thank you, both of you.” Though he was familiar with the basic layout of Johto, he hadn’t memorized the route names, and they would certainly mean little to Zed and Reshiram from the air.

N’s gaze went distant again as he relayed the information to Reshiram, and then he smiled again at Morty and the ghost. “They’ll meet us there. I expect Zed will be hiding them until they land. I’m sure you both are accustomed to abrupt appearances, but it seems only fair to warn you, regardless. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Zoroark illusions; they may be a bit different than you’re used to.”

He let the Johto natives lead the way out of the city, past the milling locals and visitors and all those beautiful buildings. Surely, Reshiram would still want to visit the towers himself, but that could come later, when the crowds had thinned and Zed’s Illusion wouldn’t need to stretch quite so far. Before long, they were out of city limits, past Ekruteak’s gate, and out amongst the trees and stars.

Here? Here seemed safe enough. The clearing was a bit off the main path, and, true to Morty’s word, the entire area seemed quite deserted. And … /yes, there they were. “Zed, this should be–”

Before N finished speaking, there were abruptly two more occupants in the small clearing. Warmth radiated from the white-furred dragon, rippling the sparse winter grass. The black fox creature on its back, however, radiated something more like distrust as it slid to the ground, blue eyes fixed on the human and pokémon accompanying N.

But N was all smiles as he rushed forward. “Zed! Reshiram! Did you have a good time?” He embraced the truth dragon’s tufted chest, relishing in the warmth for a moment before turning back to his newer friends. “This is Morty and Gengar. They’ve been very kind to me while I waited.”

Reshiram bent his neck to rest his head on N’s, favoring the Johto residents with what was probably a smile. The truth dragon’s voice wasn’t audible so much as tangible; his mouth didn’t move, but his words and meaning were clearly understandable. ‘Well Met, Friend-Of-Ghosts, Gengar. Thank You For Watching Over My Hero-Friend.’

Zed–for certainly that must be the Zoroark’s name–just crossed his arms skeptically: a disconcertingly human gesture, particularly paired with the backpack he seemed to wear.

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

So that was the dragon of truth... Morty knew he would be face to face with a legend, but he still felt overwhelmed by it’s presence. It was just like that time with Entei... Except that time, the white dragon’s smile decreased the tension.

“It was my pleasure, Reshiram. N makes a very good conversation partner.”

That guy... Thanks to N Morty could meet a legend. And to be trusted by the Hero of Truth himself... He couldn’t help but to feel a bit honored.

That Zoroark, Zed, wasn’t giving the same friendly vibe. Based on what little knowledge of the pokémon he had, it wasn’t very fond of humans.

Gengar, on the other hand, didn’t seem affected by the presence of the two newcomers. Exchanging friendly gestures, and sticking that long tongue out, Gengar was either trying to get a laugh of the two or at least saying hello in his own manner,

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

I need more stuff to do on this blog. Please like this post for a short starter.

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

Traveling without warning wasn’t a good idea

Taking about a week to get back here wasn’t eiter

[grimendsandbeautifulbeginnings]

“…pokemon can be strange at times,” he said, a hand resting on one of his vest pockets. Inside was the pokeball containing his Xatu, and the psychic felt a sudden desire to bring him out. While he initially wanted to be alone, seeing Morty and his Gengar reminded him that Xatu should be here, as well. Xatu knew his inner turmoil the best (Apart from Karen), and he was a good comforter. Therefore it made sense to have the pokemon by his side.

“Some of them do, though the others tend to remain unaffected.” Especially the Xatu resting in his pocket. The pokemon tended to be stoic most of the time and was rarely surprised or fazed by anything; a nice balance for Will if there ever was one.

Looking to the gym leader again, Will spoke. “Would you mind if I called out one of my own pokemon? Not to battle, but rather for company? It would be a shame to have your Gengar be the only other pokemon here.”

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

Will, what are you thinking? Gengar was at least being kept at bay, but if he saw one of the Elite’s pokémon it would be impossible to contain him. 

No, wait. Maybe that was the right thing to do. Gengar would leave that place without the fight he came seeking, frustrated and unsatisfied. However, if he got at least a glimpse of Will’s partner, then maybe he wouldn’t be so grump about it.

“Sure thing, I’m sure our friend back there would appreciate it.”, Morty smiled. He wondered if the psychic had already caught on the ghost’s intentions.

[10domu08]

The 22nd icon in your folder is your muse's reaction to finding a Shiny pokemon

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

[dragoncaper]

Lance nearly jumped at the voice behind him. He’d been expecting noises from within the gym, but clearly not from outside. He turned, badly disguising his surprise with an embarrassed smile.

At least he’d thought to wear something other than his usual blue uniform suit. The red-lined cape was the same, but when he turned, the rest of the outfit was clearly more casual: a high-necked grey sweater, straight-legged jeans, pokéballs clipped to his belt. Because, hey, this wasn’t a formal thing, right? He wasn’t anyone’s boss, and this wasn’t a job evaluation, or even really League business. This was just … a colleague dropping by to see another colleague. Two guys chatting.

Right. How did that work again?

“Morty! I was just looking for you.” Clearly. It was possible that Lance would be looking for someone else in Morty’s gym, but the chances were pretty slim.

“It’s been a while since I stopped by,” oh, eleven months or so, “so I thought it was high time to visit. I don’t mean to interrupt your schedule.” Wellll, he kind of did. Damn, he should have called ahead! Would that make it seem more like an official visit? He hated when these seemed official. But Morty didn’t exactly seem pleased to see him. “I can stop by later, if this is a bad time.” Just how much later? Excellent question. How long would it take for him to work up the nerve to drop by again?

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

I hope I didn’t surprise him, Morty thought to himself. A foolish thought, a man like Lance was probably prepared for anything, there’s  no way Morty could ever get him by surprise. At least that’s the idea he had of the champion.

Morty, however, was the one surprised. He had never seen the dragon tamer dress so... casually. It probably wouldn’t be so strange if he still wasn’t wearing the cape. Why the cape? Was it a dragon tamer thing? He never saw Clair without her’s either, but at least she never wore something like that!

Fashion choices aside, there still was a man at the door of Ecruteak’s Gym. What could have motivated that visit? The lack of the champion’s uniform could indicate this meeting had no official value. So was it just a friendly visit? Lance was more spontaneous than imagined.

It would be pretty rude to send him away after he had the goodwill and made time to come to that small town. So despite how much he desired a rest, Morty decided to spend some time with Lance.

“It’s fine, it’s not like I was doing anything.”, wait, wouldn’t that get him into trouble? “I mean, at least nothing that can’t be left for later.” smooth.

[n-plus-1]

N’s expression turned quizzical at the pokémon’s disappearance, then even more so as he felt the hat lift from his head. He had to restrain himself from making a grab for it, instinctively assuming that the nonexistent wind had taken it. But no, considering present company …

And then the hat was zooming through the air, performing acrobatics worthy of Skyla’s top Flyers. N’s smile returned, followed by chuckles, then outright laughter. When Gengar appeared beneath the pilfered cap, it took N a moment to place the ghost’s impression. It was rare for him to see his reflection, much less specific expressions. “ … Is that what I look like? How interesting …”

He considered Gengar’s imitation with an eager curiosity, then nodded approvingly. “That was excellent, Gengar; thank you. But may I have my hat back? It was a gift, some time ago, and I wouldn’t like to–” His words cut off as his eyes lost focus, then flicked skyward. “They’re almost back! Is there … Ah, we’ve found it’s not especially prudent for Reshiram to land in more populated areas, so if you don’t mind … Is there somewhere relatively secluded nearby? If you’d still like to meet him, that is.”

[friendlyneighborhoodmedium]

Gengar proudly laughed as a way to show appreciation for N’s compliments. Just as he was about to return the stolen hat, his eyes turned upwards, accompanying  N’s gaze. 

They. “They” most likely being N’s pokémon, Reshiram and Zoroark. Gengar had a way to sense the presence of other beings, an ability not uncommon to most pokémon. Only natural something like a legendary like Reshiram would get his attention. However, it was quite surprising that N possessed that ability as well. Morty couldn’t but ponder if it was something that the boy was born with, much like Morty’s own gifts, or something he developed.

“Secluded...”, quietly repeating N’s words, Morty tried coming up with a good landing zone for the white dragon. Normally, he’d would consider the one of the towers an appropriate choice, specially for a legendary dragon. But the Bell Tower was the opposite of “secluded”, and even the Burned Tower, which was usually left alone, would be full of people at that time of the year paying their respects.  

Morty’s thinking was interrupted by a not-so light tugging on his bandanna. Gengar, the one doing the pulling, was frantically pointing to the west of the city.  It took him a while, but Morty understood the message.

“Route 38 should be empty by now. If anything, it’s a pretty large region and full of trees, so it should be safe for Reshiram.”