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Eddies

Chapter 8: Legendary.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Eddies 8

For an eternity, Raikou sensed only darkness; an emptiness that stretched beyond his senses. For a time, he raged at the nothing, fury at his capture sending bolt after bolt of lightning outward into the ether, trying to force open his prison, only to sense them vanishing into the void surrounding him.

As he finally came to realise there was no escape, a dark, defeatist mood enveloped him. His attack stopped and he simply floated listlessly through the nothingness for what seemed an eternity.

For a while, he thought he'd go mad, simply as something to do to pass the timeless state between what was, and what was not. Perhaps he did in the end, as he increasingly found large periods of his imprisonment escaped his recall. But one thing was most certain; he remembered his capture in stark, vivid detail.

It was the stupidity of his actions that hurt the most; the ridiculous nature of the progression of increasingly improbable events burned at his memory, resulting in those two human idiots managing to trap him! When the panicked call of the jolteon reached his sensitive ears, his entire being burned in rage at the thought of the danger the electric-type was in. Had he stepped back, even for a moment, and considered the situation, instead of blundering into the building in fury, he'd have realised something was oddly amiss.

But it was in his very nature to act first, think second, and he raged at himself, swearing to never again let his actions dominate thought.

That's assuming he ever had another chance... Another chance.... Another.....

Help.... Help me.....

In his more cognitive moments, he thought desperately on what he'd do to his captors, once he was released. He'd rend them, and tear them, and make them pay! Make them pay for keeping him locked up in this nothingness, so very long! So very, very long....

Help me.....

Time passed in the timeless void. How much, he couldn't tell. But it passed anyway. He couldn't stop it. The torment went on and on and on and on.... And on and on.... ................

Till..... A light. A bright light! Red and bright, piercing the darkness of the void, like a beacon of hope.... Of release.... A light.... Raikou hoped, as he had never hoped before. Freedom? Freedom from this prison of the mind and soul.... Release.... YES!

The real world reappeared, heavy rain pelting down on him; the sweet, succulent scent of fresh storm-clouds and ozone; the feeling of the soft lawn beneath his paws, claws digging deep in the lush soil beneath.

For a brief moment, he allowed his senses to reel in ecstatic joy at the sensations around him; sensations he'd feared he would never feel again. Then the scent hit him; human. Before him. FURY!

Opening his eyes, he stared down at the shell-shocked pink-skin gazing up at him in open mouthed dismay. Ball still clutched in one hand, he beheld Raikou as a messenger from hell; as if the end of the world had descended, and Armageddon had arrived. In that, for him perhaps, he was not so far from the truth.

Screaming roar tearing from his throat, Raikou lunged forward with a paw, pinning the filthy human against the side of the building behind it, claws pressed into its flesh as it struggled to breathe; to escape his clutches. Leaning forward, he brought his face to its own, guttural growl rumbling through the ground below as he drank deeply of its scent, ready to end its miserable existence, as it had tried to end his.

But... But something was wrong. This was not his captor; his tormentor. This one smelled...different. Alien.

The split second he paused was all it took; he shook as a massive blast of aura energy impacted his side, sending him tumbling to the ground nearby. Dripping mud and filth, he climbed to his feet unsteadily, turning to slowly stare at the insolent creature that had attacked him. A lucario, one hand reaching down to help the shaking, bleeding human to its feet; the other wielding a coalesced mass of pulsing aura sphere in a wavering hand, shielding them both from him.

Raikou crouched to attack, ready to spring and rend and tear at his attackers. Ready to dismember and tear and rend and tear and.... Wait? Something was wrong here...

He paused again, allowing the growl to die off, even as the rain steamed into mist as it struck the energy crackling around his form. The fury darkening his vision subsided, red tinge of anger bleaching away from his sight as the unlikely pair before him waited for his next attack, pokemon protecting the human in snarling defiance.

The moment stretched on, until the aura ball spluttered in the lucario's palm. As it gutted out, only the lights from the nearby building illuminated the trio, as they stood in silent, mutual regard.

"You..." Raikou started, before pausing, long unused speech rusty in his mouth. "You are not them!"

Chris coughed harshly, chest burning from the force of the impact with the creature looming before them. Spitting onto the concrete, he winced as he felt the claw rakes pooling blood through his shredded shirt, dripping to dissolve into the puddle of water at his feet. He straightened, but gasped as the wounds spread, so that only the support from Skyy kept him standing.

Finally, as the pain subsided somewhat, he stared at the massive tiger-like creature poised before him, no longer afraid as the adrenalin tearing through his system finally kicked in.

"Mate, I don't know who you're after, but I almost pity them. But no, I'm not them, whoever they are."

Raikou regarded the human with suspicion. "You hold the ball" he growled, sparks of energy again rippling across his form. "Where are they?"

As Skyy guided Chris onto the bench where he slumped in pain, he lifted his head to again stare at the massive creature.

"Look, crazy face! I don't know who the fuck you're talking about! We only took your ball from that Team Galaxy bitch..... Oh, shit! They captured you?"

Hissing, Raikou moved forward, pausing as the lucario stepped in front of his partner, flickering blue lights showing his readiness to protect him from the legendary.

"Where are they? I will tear and rip and..."

Interrupting the creatures raving, Chris coughed again, and said "Yeah, I got it. Rip and tear and shit! Well, I have news for you, fella! We dealt with them earlier today, already. One has a smashed up face, and the other a cheek full of hurt."

Raikou pondered this, as the lucario leaned forward to hiss frantically into his partners ear "Chris!! We have to get out of here!! Do you know who that is?"

Chris shrugged, and said "Don't give a fuck. I want to know why he attacked me without provocation. I did nothing to him!"

Raikou raised red eyes to regard the human almost curiously, before again stepping towards the pair. The lucario tensed, but paused as a hand grabbed his arm, stopping him from interfering. Skyy turned a pleading, desperate look at his friend, but Chris shook his head, instead allowing the massive creature to lean forward, face only inches from his own as he stared into its eyes without fear.

The breath of the massive pokemon ruffled his hair as it whispered "Free me!"

Regarding the eyes before him, Chris was startled to discover what he least expected; fear, pain, desperation, a terrible loneliness; all of these shone through that daunting gaze, burning with the awful experience the creature had endured. The knowledge brought understanding, and sudden empathy.

So he nodded. "Alright."

Blinking at the sudden capitulation, Raikou stepped back, dropping to his haunches as the lucario warily plucked the pokeball from the ground where it lay, still open and filling with muddy water. As Skyy flicked it clean before passing it to the human, Raikou watched cautiously as the ball was snapped shut, ready to spring if an attempt was made to recapture him. Instead, the human simply turned it over, then again, and again... rolling it around his palm as he stared closely at the object of Raikou's torment.

"Umm..." he stuttered, at a loss for words with his findings...

"What?" hissed the legendary, leaning forward again to peer at the source of his pain.

Looking at the lucario in concern, he passed his partner the ball, who examined it closely himself, before turning worried eyes on the human.

"There's no permanent release button!" said Skyy, eyeing Raikou in fear.

The legendary paused, gauging their reaction to the news. It was clear they were telling the truth; he could read their startled reactions like an open book. He was trapped; trapped in the ball. Trapped...

Crouched into the mud, a low keening sprang from his throat, as the legendaries mind swarmed with blackness, concussion waves of pain enveloping his being, until a light in the darkness drew him from his despair. A gentle hand, resting on his neck, whispering soft words of comfort.

Chris stood next to the massive creature, rocking unsteadily on his feet. Skyy supported him as he wavered, but the hand resting on Raikou's neck didn't falter, as the creature finally dropped into silence.

As long moments passed, Chris stroked the coarse fur, and said softly "I think we should go inside".

With Skyy's support, the trio made their way into the building, Raikou following the pair in despair.

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"You have to get rid of him!" Jasper hissed, grabbing Chris and eliciting a wince of pain as he was roughly dragged from the main reception to an adjoining room.

"Mate! Bleeding here!" he spluttered, and the Gym Leader dropped his arm guiltily.

"Sorry! Sorry! I forgot! Look!! This is insane!! He can't stay here!! Release him, for fucks sake!!

Chris gave the frantic gym leader a glare, before passing the gold and black ball at him.

"Tell me how, and I'm happy to oblige!! There's no fucking release button on that thing!"

Examining the ball quickly, Jasper groaned, slumping into a seat next to Chris, desperation written across his face.

"What were those fucking imbeciles thinking?" he spat, passing the ball back to Chris and leaning to stare at the ceiling. "Didn't they know how much fucking shit this would cause?"

Chris looked at him, a wry grin crossing his face. "Well, you did say they were morons, mate" he said, staring out through the room's glass doors to where the massive pokemon squatted, the lucario standing beside him awkwardly. Throwing Chris a worried glance through the intervening space, Skyy watched as his friend conferred with Jasper in hushed tones, their conversation inaudible at this distance even to his excellent hearing.

Turning back to the legendary, he watched it breathing heavily, a quiet keening echoing through the room.

Stiffening his spine, the lucario bent down before it, and said "It could be worse, you know."

As the keening continued, Skyy reached out a hand to its cheek, pressing warm fingers through the dense fur, until he could feel its pulse crashing through the arteries beneath.

"I'm serious", he said quietly. "This is not as bad as you think."

The rumbling voice spoke, muffled from his position on the floor.

"I am a prisoner. I am not free. I am... nothing!"

Frown crossing his brow, Skyy dropped to the floor, sitting with crossed knees before the massive head.

"Do I look like a prisoner?" he demanded of the legendary, which rolled a pain filled eye to regard him. When Raikou failed to reply, Skyy leaned down, bringing himself nose to nose with the creature. "I said, do I look like I'm nothing?"

The red eyes closed, as Raikou responded. "You are not free!"

Skyy slapped the neck hard, causing the huge head to lift and hiss at the mistreatment.

"I am as free as I chose to be. This human is not like the others. He saved my life, at mortal risk to his own, and offered me my freedom. No, I am not nothing! I choose to be here! He is my friend, and I am his! I know him...if it is freedom you want, he will not stop till you receive it! You have my word!"

Raikou considered this, turning his gaze to regard the two humans in the other room. Unlike the lucario, he had no troubles hearing their conversation, which while enlightening, also provided him with more than ample food for thought.

Jasper groaned again. "Shit, what do we do with him? He'll cause panic in the centre, if people see him! He's a fucking legendary beast!!"

Chris looked at the worried trainer, and shrugged. "As I have no idea what that is, I'll pretend to be impressed. C'est la vie! Legendary or not, he's in some real pain, and needs help. He's here, and will be till we can free him. Then he's gone as he chooses. So, we need to work on that, huh?"

Jasper rolled his eyes, slapping his forehead with a palm as he considered the options. Finally, standing stiffly, he helped Chris to his feet, before the pair returned to the main reception area where the two pokemon waited.

Staring down at the crouching legendary, who returned his gaze intently, Jasper said with a sigh "I'm sorry, Raikou. I have no idea how to free you either. This is not a normal ball that has trapped you. Hell, I doubt if a normal ball could even have trapped you! This is a master ball, and I have no idea how to permanently release you. But Chris is right; we will do everything we can to release you from it. I don't know how long it will take, but I'll have everyone I know working on it, too. Until then, all I can suggest is that you stay with Chris and Skyy, and keep a low profile. Last thing we need is every idiot hurrying here to see the pet legendary"

A deep growl escaped the pokemon, as he lifted his head to regard the gym leader. "I am no-one's pet!" he demanded, and received a tired nod in reply.

"Yeah, I know. But still... low profile, alright?"

As the huge head nodded slowly, Jasper turned to Chris and said "We'd better take a look at you too. Those wounds look nasty. Skyy, take Raikou to your room, if you can get him in there. Hopefully, we won't be long"

As the massive pokemon followed the smaller down the corridor, skinny star-tipped held tail low in defeat, Jasper turned to Chris and said dryly. "Life was so normal here before you turned up. We only ever had one life-threatening, world ending chaos event in any week. Remind me to punch you hard when you recover."

Chris grinned, wincing as his chest pained him. "Well, there is a threat where I come from; May you live in interesting times. I just wished I'd known how interesting they'd be before I started".

The gym leader nodded as he led Chris to the infirmary, to bind and clean his wounds.

As the last of the bandages were tightened, Chris asked the gym leader what all the fuss had been about. "Sure, he's a big one, but I've seen others at least his size since getting here, and they don't send everyone shitting bricks in fear"

Giving him an incredulous look that quickly turned thoughtful, Jasper said "You really don't know, do you? I mean, yeah, I know you've been here such a short time, but to not know who Raikou is... Shit, where do I start?"

Slipping from the table to grab a coffee at a percolator conveniently brewing nearby, Jasper sighed, passing a mug to Chris while sipping absently at his own, as he slumped, exhausted, into the chair opposite.

"Shit, where do I start? You're asking for a summary of a good chunk of this world's mythology, in a few brief sentences. That always works well."

"Well as the legend goes, long ago there were a pair of legendary bird pokemon; Lugia and Ho-Oh; who lived in Ecruteak City atop tall towers in the city outskirts. However, when the Brass Tower, the home of Lugia, was struck by lightning, it burned to the ground and they both flew away."

"Raikou, Entei, and Suicune were later found in the basement of the Burned Tower. They were called legendary beasts, as their features appeared to be based on many different creatures both real and mythical. They had been trapped in the Brass Tower when it was struck by the lightning and burned to the ground, dying in the flames. The trio were revived by the power of Ho-Oh, and now roam across the land. No one knows whether the three were already a Suicune, Raikou, and Entei when they died, or whether they were simply three non-legendary Pokémon, and Ho-Oh reincarnated them as the first legendary beasts."

Jasper paused, considering his next words carefully.

"Of the three, Raikou is said to represent the lightning strike which ignited the fire that consumed the Brass Tower; Suicune the rains that quenched the flames; and Entei, the flames themselves."

"Raikou is more powerful than any other Electric-type Pokémon alive now, because those billowing thunderclouds on his back store energy, allowing him to perform powerful attacks, such as Thunder, more quickly and efficiently than regular Electric Pokémon could dream of. He's sort of fully charged all the time, so to speak. That makes him pretty damned dangerous!"

"Putting it simply, he's a serious force of nature that you'd have to be fucking insane to mess with! Then again, Team Galaxy cronies have never been all that well endowed in the sanity department."

Chris considered the story dubiously, and asked "So, you're saying this is the same Raikou from the legend? How old would that make him?"

Jasper shrugged, and said "Dunno, mate. Given he's technically under your control, perhaps you can ask him yourself, while I wait in the next building for the answer?"

Chris gave him a dry look. "Yeah, I'll risk pissing off the huge sabre-toothed cat monster who wanted to kill me earlier. That'd be a Team Galaxy moment, for sure!", and Jasper gave a brief bark of laugher in reply.

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When Chris returned to his room, he was met at the door by a worried Skyy, who shook his head as the human gave him a questioning look. Passing the lucario, Chris hit a wall of fur taking up a third of the room; Raikou's back to him as the mountain of flesh rose and fell with his breathing.

Stepping quietly to his side, Chris rested his hand gently on its flank, receiving only a momentary pause in its breathing as acknowledgement of his presence. Chris sighed, smoothing the ruffled fur absently, and spoke quietly "Raikou, I understand now why you're so upset with us. If the situation was reversed, I'd be even more pissed. In hindsight, you've shown a lot more restraint than I would have done. But I promise you... I swear to you, Raikou, that I will find a way to free you. It might take a while, but I will do it. OK?"

Chris waited for a response, but when none was forthcoming, he sighed, patting the huge flank softly, before turning off the room lights, leaving the lonely pokemon to sleep in the light streaming through the open window. Returning to his bed, Chris stripped off his clothing and slipping beneath the sheets, pulling them tightly about him. When Skyy dropped in besides him, he wrapped his arms around the surprised lucario, his face pressed into the blue fur of his back, where it rested warmly against him.

Sleep was a long time coming, but as he finally nodded off, he knew this promise was the most important one of his life.

With that, he swore to ensure it was kept.

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Woken by the stirring of the lucario beside him, Chris rubbed bleary eyes as Skyy turned to him with a smile teasing his muzzle.

"Good morning, pillow" said the lucario with a grin, and Chris smiled back, stretching as he worked the kinks from his aching muscles. The cuts on his chest still hurt like a bitch, but they didn't seem to have gotten any worse, as his tentative fingers probed the bandages.

Raikou hadn't moved during the night, so getting up with a groan, he slipped from Skyy's side and approached the legendary.

"Hey?" he said quietly, as the fur stirred before him. "Time to get up, my friend"

Face still towards the wall, the shoulders shrugged, and a deep, low voice whispered "Why?"

Considering the pokemon thoughtfully, Chris suddenly chuckled, causing a stir in the furry bulk, as it rolled over to turn a deep, dejected eye towards him.

Rubbing his hands together, Chris bent down, nose to nose with the creature, and said "Oh, I saw the breakfast menu yesterday. Today is a special day!"

Stepping back, he rummaged through his pack for fresh clothes, before making a beeline to the shower room. As Raikou slowly stood up to stare at Chris in confusion, the human grinned at him.

"Today is pancake day!"

With that, he closed the door behind him, hopping in the shower.

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You could have heard a pin drop in the cafeteria that morning.

Not that the place was empty. Hell, there wasn't a free seat in the place anywhere.

Except for the far corner where Chris and his friends sat, which boasted a trainer-free zone covering a twenty foot radius around their table.

Apart from the odd chink as cutlery met porcelain, no conversation broke the silence. Every eye was too busy staring at the hulking shape of Raikou, squatting on his haunches beside the table Chris and Skyy shared, wolfing down berry sauce soaked pancakes with obvious gusto.

As Chris returned to the serving area, prodding the cafeteria lady with his fork as she stood, dumbstruck, absently stirring the baked beans in their tray as she gaped at the legendary, he gave up gaining her attention as a lost cause, simply helping himself to several more piled plates of pancakes. Heaping the tray high with the yummies, he grabbed a jug of berry sauce, and another filled with warm honey, giving the woman a nod of thanks in return.

She didn't bat an eyelid, seemingly unaware of his presence.

Shrugging, he returned to their table, dumping another stack in front of Raikou, who lifted a berry soaked muzzle to regard him intently. As blue sauce dripped from his whiskers, Chris grinned suddenly, holding out the two jugs to ask the legendary which he wanted.

When Raikou sniffed at the honey curiously, Chris dumped the contents of the container over the stack, and moved back quickly as the pokemon began wolfing them down, a large purring growl escaped his throat.

Chuckling at the sight, he returned to his own breakfast, poking Skyy who sat in amazement watching the rate the legendary made the stack of food vanish. Blinking suddenly, he resumed eating, careful to chew each mouthful thoroughly, avoiding making a mess of his own fur in the process.

As a shadow crossed their table, the three looked up to see Jasper, tray in hand, grinning down at them. At his raised eyebrow, Skyy shuffled over in his seat, allowing the space for the gym leader to sit down with a groan.

"Late night last night" he said, pouring berry sauce over his breakfast, and grabbing his cutlery to start on it.

"I thought you had a 6am start?" said Chris, to which Jasper shook his head.

"Not anymore. Something big came up, and I cancelled it" he said dryly, receiving a grin from Skyy. At that moment, looking up from his tongue polished plate, Raikou said almost eagerly "More?", so Chris passed over the remainder of his near-full plate, which the legendary attacked greedily.

Jasper leaned forward, and told the trio what he'd discovered. "It seems Team Galaxy has wanted to trap this one for quite a while. Something to do with a big plot they'd hatched, before going belly up last fall. My sources tell me Raikou might have been locked in that ball for as long as two years, possibly more, since it was well before then that he was last sighted by anyone.

Raikou looked up from his meal, scowl crossing his toothy face as he regarded the gym leader intently. "Aye" he rumbled, "It was a long time. Not very enjoyable"

Chris looked at him sharply. "You were conscious in there? I thought... well...." he shrugged helplessly.

Shaking his mammoth head, berry juice splattering across the table from his face, the legendary said "No. I was aware the whole time"

Chris sat back stunned. "But that's monstrous!" he said, as Skyy gave a shudder besides him.

Nodding, Raikou stared at him intently, before cleaning his muzzle with swipes of his paw, licking the blue juices from the fur with long rasps of his tongue.

Staring at him grimly, Jasper considered a moment. "I think we need to contact the Rangers on this. We need to track these idiots all down, and find out what they know, not to mention who else they might have trapped. Also, where the hell had they sourced a master ball from? They're rarer than psyduck teeth!"

Skyy returned to the remains of his breakfast, licking the plate clean before resting it back on the table. "We also have a charmander to collect", he reminded Chris, who slapped his hand to his forehead with a groan.

"Crap! I nearly forgot. What time is it?"

Jasper consulted his 'dex. "Just before 9am. I'd imagine he'll be ready by now. Besides, I need to get back to the office, and call the Rangers. I'll keep you informed of what I find out."

Nodding, Chris polished off the last of his coffee, gesturing to the two pokemon to get up and let him pass. "Time we left then, gents" he said, as Skyy jumped up to his side. With Raikou stalking behind them, they met no interference on their way to the reception, where an unusually mute Nurse Joy, eyes wide as she stared at them, passed over the white and red ball with shaking hands.

Rolling his eyes, he turned to Raikou, and said "I think we need some air. It seems you're making the locals a bit nervous".

As the huge beast eyed him solemnly, they left the centre, walking the mile or so down towards the park, past the shopping area they'd visited yesterday. The plan was find a nice quiet area to get some peace and quiet, and release the charmander in privacy.

On the way, the previous day's onslaught of annoying trainers wanting to battle was nonexistent, and Skyy grinned as he mentioned this to his partner. "I think I must have become suddenly very scary" said the lucario, and jumped as the legendary gave a short, loud cough of amusement. Turning to Raikou, he said "You have a sense of humour? I'm impressed!", only to receive a droll glare in return.

The streets seemed deserted, although Chris caught the occasional frightened glance from nervous shopkeepers and customers, who were doing their best to pretend to not exist as the trio passed. While the ice cream shop was open, Chris walked right by, telling the lucario that he'd have to wait till later. While Skyy's disappointed look made him chuckle, honesty made him admit to him he doubted he'd have enough money to cover the amount Raikou would eat there, as well.

Passing one shop selling leather goods (where the leather came from, Chris didn't want to know), the human stopped suddenly in thought. Unable to halt his momentum, Raikou ploughed into his back, nearly sending him sprawling, but Chris managed to save himself the fall by grabbing a nearby lamp post in support. As the legendary shook himself off, Chris said to the two pokemon. "Hang a bit! I need to get something here!"

As Chris ducked into the store, Skyy sat down on a nearby bench, as Raikou squatted on his haunches besides him. Chris was gone over twenty minutes before he finally made his reappearance, huge smile beaming as he held out a paper bag containing the goods he just bought for a surprised Raikou.

Sniffing the parcel cautiously, the legendary said "What is it?" Chris chuckled, fishing his purchase out from the tissue paper inside, and holding out a wide, thick belt, a single heavy duty pokeball holder riveted to the front section, for inspection. Nodding for permission, he strapped Raikou's pokeball in the mount, before wrapping his arms around the massive neck to secure the leather belt firmly. Standing back, he admired his work, and said "There! Your ball is yours now, to look after. No one can take it from you without your permission".

The legendary stared down at his chest inscrutably, right paw cupping the ball in its leather harness, before he dropped to all fours, rubbing his head firmly against the startled human, a loud purr rumbling through the air. As Skyy chuckled at his friend's predicament, Chris pushed the huge pokemon away, saying embarrassingly "Hey! S'okay! It's what friends do, right?"

The legendary paused, gazing at the human intently. "It was unexpected."

Skyy rolled his eyes, and said "Yeah, well we excel at unexpected. You'd better get used to it"

As Raikou nodded thoughtfully, they resumed their walk to the park, unaware of the pair of skulking figures pursuing them from a distance behind, tracking their movements as they walked into the gardens nearby.