Break and Slip (A Pokémon Fanfic)

Chapter 2 - Break

"That's your inquiry now? Well... yes, I am." Mars pulled out a thumbs up and a smile.

"Er, yeah..." Cyrus scratched his head, "actually, why are you here?"

"I dunno; I guess I'm lost. How about you? What are you doing here alone?"

Cyrus sighed. "I can't go back to where I am from, you know. I kind of want to start anew."

"That would be cool," Mars replied, "but how are you going to pull it off? You seem to be cold, shall we go to my place?"

"Hey, knock it off, I'm trying to be friendly now!" Cyrus blurted out, and he bent over to pick up his Poké Balls. "These two are my friends," he added.

"Come on, let's go!" Mars nudged Cyrus, "we just have to get out of this lake."

After climbing down the short stairs, the tall grass route had to be crossed once again. Mars facepalmed, and then all of a sudden, she jumped and then started to run through the grass!

"Hey I-do-not-know-thy-name, wait!" Cyrus yelled, "Stop right there!"

Meanwhile, Cynthia—a blonde girl on skiing clothes—passed by the route. She is with Professor Carolina, the elderly lady behind her, who held a film camera and somehow, she is more focused on reading her notes on a tickler notebook.

"Gran," Cynthia called, "Gran! Some kid is running through the tall grass!"

"Chingling," the professor took out her Poké Ball, and the creature floated mid-air, stretching with a chime, "please have a lookout on that redhead over there, okay?"

Cheee... the Pokémon replied, and flew to where Mars sprinted. By that time, Mars was easily distracted by the unique cry of the Pokémon; she looked up, and waved to the Chingling.

Cynthia, having lost track of where the redhead and Chingling are, has her gaze now fixated at some yellow mist that seeped through the trees that provide shade at the lakefront entrance. It is the yellow mist that lingered earlier in the lake. Now it shimmers brightly, much more as sunset is fast approaching.

"Gran, look up!" Cynthia exclaimed; her hands covered her mouth in awe.

"Whoa," the professor aimed the camera towards the mist, " this is very interesting! This might do something with Uxie..."

The yellow mist condensed, and formed an outline at first. Tiny, shiny particles revolved around the forming image; drawing the shapes and flowy lines from the cap-shaped head to the dangly tails, and... Professor Carolina was right, it is Uxie!

"Cynthia, don't look at it with the eye!" the professor blurted out. Both ladies crouched; Mars overheard the conversation of the two and did the same. However, Cyrus was blissfully unaware of the interactions around him, and stared at Uxie for as long as it gleamed during that twilight. Uxie chimed, and he thought it meant that the Pokémon wanted to be petted, and thus he tried to reach out for its tail.

Uxie bounced a little mid-air, and then gently opened its golden eyes. His icy blue eyes met the Lake Guardian's eyes, and all of a sudden, he collapsed to the ground.

Two Team Rocket grunts wearing trench coats passed by, and were shocked to have encountered Uxie, albeit now dissipating in the air that flowed towards the lakefront. The female grunt noticed Mars' cowlick against the tall grass, and then pulled her strongly by the scarf.

"Mars! What are you doing here? Did you leave the keys? You shouldn't be out!"

Mars quickly undid her scarf, as the rather harsh pull made her nearly choke. She rolled on the grass, and then sat down as quickly as she could.

"Ma, Pa, what are you doing here at Acuity? Also, I invited Cyrus to stay at home..." Mars let out a small yawn and stretched her arms.

"Who's Cyrus?" the father asked.

"It's the boy just above the stairs..." Mars replied.

The Chingling cried, nudged Cynthia, and then gestured to where Cyrus lay.

"Oh dear, a bluehead collapsed here!"

"Gran, I think he's seen Uxie right on the eyes." Cynthia murmured, having remembered the legend of eye contact with Uxie that can erase one's memories. It is a well-known tale, which has not been proven yet, as ancient texts and anecdotes were quite inconsistent.

Mars' father carried Cyrus—who is still unconscious—to where the professor stood.

"Hello strangers, here's my grandma, Professor Carolina. If you need answers, she might provide some input." Cynthia looked at the couple in trench coats. Mars, on the other hand, hid behind her parents and looked back at the lakefront entrance; it is now getting dark, and the mist is no longer there.

Mars' mother bent behind and whispered, "no, we cannot take him in. Besides, it's not like the maf—the business is making enough money for you alone."

"Oh... but please, even just for a day, pretty please!" Mars pleaded as she pulled the hem of the mother's trench coat.

"I think you should take him in," Professor Carolina replied, "I and Cynthia are on an excursion trip, and we will be leaving town tomorrow.It would be of great help, especially this boy seems to be of my young girl's age."

The couple stared at one another's eyes, and then nodded.

The next day, Cyrus found himself on the sofa inside the living room of Mars' home. His eyes blinked the moment he smelled hot chocolate, which Mars held after mer mother told her to do so from the kitchen.

"Eat," Mars placed the cup on the table, "Sunny, you need some energy... by the way, where are you going?"

"Those are certainly all words..." Cyrus scratched his head, "I don't remember a thing. Who are you? Who's Sunny?"

"You don't remember me now? That's too bad. The legend then is indeed true!"

"Why do I have Poké Balls with me?" Cyrus fumbled in his pocket, and the capsules fell on the floor. The buttons were activated by accident, and out came Murkrow and a Sneasel.

"Gaah, a sneaky attacker! That one nearly got me yesterday!" Mars pointed to the Sneasel.

"Pardon? I don't know you." Cyrus stared coldly at the two Pokémon. In response, the Murkrow and the Sneasel tackled him; luckily, away from the hot chocolate. However, he now lay on the wooden floor.

"Cyrus, they are your friends! You must recall it!" Mars then bent over him and held his face by the cheeks, "look at me by the eyes. I'm the same redhead you saw yesterday at Lake Acuity! And hey, maybe this hot chocolate will help you get out of your amnesia."

"Alright," Cyrus then sniffed the beverage. The heartily-brewed hot choco has a nice aroma of quality cocoa, with a hint of condensed milk, "this seems very good."

Mars' mother called her for a quick errand, and thus Mars zoomed upstairs and to the attic. Murkrow and Sneasel looked at Cyrus as he finished his drink. The two nudged at his feet, yet the boy simply ignored them.

A few minutes later, Mars came down with a paper bag, an old jacket on her shoulders, and then marched to the kitchen. Her mother slid in a bag of packed biscuits and a water bottle. Mars also wrote down her full name on a piece of paper and had it snuck in, too.

"Well, if you can't really remember, that's alright. Take your time. Unfortunately, my parents cannot let you stay for long. But here, you can take this, and please wear this jacket; it's kinda cold outside, you know. Also bring your friends with you! They'll surely help you on your way, Sunny." Mars handed the paper bag, placed the Poké Balls in, and then she led Cyrus to the doorway. Outside, she embraced the boy, and then Murkrow stood on Cyrus' shoulder. Sneasel nudged on the boy's legs.

"Thank you for making my day at Lake Acuity, even if the ice broke and we slipped... and then we flew up high. See you soon," she added, and then she closed the door.