Lisa the Legend - Chapter 52 up!!
Chapter 12 - Psychics.
Lisa watched, her stomach swirling along like the whirlpool. Lisa had underestimated it’s size earlier … now that the boat was further in, the treacherous spinning water looked somehow magnified. The whirlpool was easily as large as a house … and at least as deep as the Radio Tower, back in Goldenrod city, it seemed.
Lisa’s Dratini and Quagsire were swimming alongside the boat but in the opposite direction, combatting the water with their Whirlpool attacks. Gavin’s Staryu and Jack’s Poliwrath were in there too, but the four Pokemon didn’t have enough strength. Gavin had suggested releasing Lanturn, but Lisa quickly blocked him. Releasing Lanturn would be like swimming in a thunderstorm – they would all end up electrified.
Lisa looked up in desperation, clasping the rusty steel side rail while Gavin and the other two men raced around, accomplishing nothing at all. The whirlpool had such a great force pulling it that Lisa thought even if they had twenty or more pokemon whirlpooling it still would be no use. Aipom suddenly raced up to Lisa from the cabin and pulled a pokeball off her waist. Lisa looked at it, and then at Aipom. It wasn’t Butterfree’s pokeball. It wasn’t Aipom empty Pokeball either. It was the Pokemon that Jack had given Lisa just moments ago. Maybe it could fight the whirlpool?
Lisa wound up her arm; this was her only shot. The pokeball had to land right near Quagsire and the other water types. Any further and it would disappear into the murky depths – any closer and the pokeball would hit the port side of the boat –and probably shatter. Lisa had to aim exactly. She threw the ball finally, and it flew right on target for Quagsire until a freak gust of wind blew it over, deeper into the ocean. Lisa cried out – the ball finally landed across the Whirlpool – that was a VERY strong wind.
Quagsire spotted the ball, and stopped it’s ongoing blast of water for a moment. Lisa took notice, and looked at Quagsire. Their eyes locked for a moment, until Quagsire finally made a move. The large, wobbly water pokemon took a deep breath, and dived down through the whirlpool’s many levels. Lisa gasped, but couldn’t speak – either because of shock or because the salty air was drying out her throat.
Gavin walked over beside her, leaving Jack and the captain to fuss around pointlessly, and surveyed the catastrophe unfolding before him in the water. “ What a way to go …” he sighed jokingly, trying to quickly dodge a slap to the head from Lisa – but not fast enough. The slap hit him square on the forehead, and knocked him temporarily off balance. Taking a step behind himself to stay standing, Gavin trod on Lisa’s backpack, tripping him and finally toppling him over. Gavin landed hard, hitting his head against the steel rail, and slumped out of consciousness.
Lisa sighed, but then turned back to the tragedy at hand – Gavin’s injuries could wait.
Quagsire had succeeded, by now, in getting himself caught up in a lot of trouble. He had miraculously managed to splash over to the Pokeball but now had no strength remaining to swim back against the flow of the water. His only chance was to use his own Whirlpool attack – but even in a group with three others he had been unable to even effect the currents – how was he meant to succeed on his own?
The water pokemon was in trouble, and both he and his trainer knew it. Lisa, fretting for her Pokemon’s safety, whipped out his pokeball and pressed the button. The boat lurched moments before a crimson beam shot across the pool, with a diametre of incredible measures. The light was just a few metres off course; Quagsire was still floating helplessly in the water. Lisa tried and tried, but to no avail. The boat was too wobbly for Lisa to aim an accurate beam – it was hopeless. Lisa sighed, and called out to Quagsire.
“ Swim with the whirlpool’s flow!” she cried. “ Save your energy.” Quagsire didn’t see how doing what it’s master ordered would help it get to safety, but it obeyed. The water pokemon swam with the whirlpool’s currents, pulling itself down faster but conserving it’s energy. Lisa, content that Quagsire had a long way to go before the matter of reaching the bottom was a problem, looked up and saw that the boat was almost half way down the whirlpool. The inside of the pool was dull, and elongated shadows enveloped the miniscule pleasure craft and it’s occupants.
Lisa stepped back from the rail – it was beginning to creak and she felt it might break off if she leaned on it with her full body weight. Lisa felt her foot come across something bumpy as she stepped back, and she looked down to see Gavin – now awakened. The teenage boy suddenly screamed with pain, and Lisa took a step back towards the rail.
Quagsire, now able to see the bottom of the watery trap, had given up hope now. He grabbed the shiny, slippery pokeball between his hands, and tried to hold it firm, when suddenly an odd azure aura surrounded his entire being. The heavy Pokemon’s body was lifted into the thick, damp air, and suddenly flew at the boat’s deck with astonishing speed and force. All the pokemon in the water; Dratini, Staryu and Poliwrath, who still hadn’t given up on fighting the water’s currents, suddenly lifted up into the air, with the same azure light surrounding them. The three water pokemon slammed down upon the deck, next to Quagsire, and Gavin. Lisa suddenly realised that Gavin, too, had a strong blue tinge to his natural colourings. It didn’t take Lisa very long to guess what was going on – Gavin was Psychic. This was the second time in a week or so that Lisa had seen him use his powers – and they were amazing.
“ Gavin – do you have any ide..?” Lisa began, but she was cut off by yet another mysterious event. The entire boat, now almost at the bottom of the whirlpool, lifted up slowly, and rose up, higher and higher until the minute pleasure boat splashed up, out of the whirlpool and into pure daylight; Lisa, Jack and the Captain had to shield their eyes with curved hands for a moment until their eyes adjusted. Finally, they became used to the conditions, and removed their sweaty palms – and all three let out a cry of confused joy, thanks and relief.
*
Aipom sat on the rusty railing – his mischievous tail entwined around it, squeezing out all traces of moisture, wringing out all traces of the recent whirlpool. The captain was down in the cabin; Lisa hadn’t heard from him since they had set course for Red-Rock Island, the island in the Whirlpool Archipelago where the league would be held. Jack had found a comfortable position on the upper deck, and had parked there, sipping from a can of icy lemonade. Gavin was resting down below, the psychic blast had left him extremely weak. Lisa lay on the lower deck, stroking the new pokeball she had been given and daring herself to open it, unsure whether to open it immediately or leave it for a while. She was unsure.
However, soon Lisa didn’t have any choice. Before she could make a final decision, Jack called out from above “ Red Rock Island, dead ahead!” Lisa had only ever heard the words used before on TV shows, so it was exciting for her to actually be there. Climbing up onto the upper deck, Lisa felt the cool sea breeze blowing through her hair. Jack laughed and pointed to a tiny, red spot on the horizon. It was gradually becoming dark; night was falling.
“ Thank you for letting us come with you on this cruise.” Lisa thanked the man, as the captain sailed the tiny boat closer towards the island. They were approaching at a steady speed, and even in the few minutes Lisa had been standing up there the island looked closer already – only about fifteen minutes away.
“ You’re welcome.” Jack said. “ Although I didn’t really have much choice, the way you charged up here.”
Lisa laughed, embarrassed at remembering her actions earlier that day. “ I got a little carried away.”
They sat in silence for some minutes, then Jack started a new conversation. “ Did you open the pokeball I gave you?”
“ No, not yet.” Lisa told him, actually almost regretfully. She now really wanted to see what the pokemon was, and suddenly couldn’t understand her previous idling. The teenage girl wrenched the ball off her belt and held it up. “ Maybe I will now.”
“ Go ahead.” Jack urged. “ I wanna see what ya think of it. It’s not much, mind, but still … just open it.”
Lisa held the ball out, and pushed the button upon it’s centre, enlarging it. The pokeball shone in the daylight as Lisa prolonged the moment she would discover her new Pokemon, she almost felt she didn’t want to know but inside she really did. The ebony-haired girl took a breath, and opened the ball out on it’s hinge, holding it firmly in her hands as it opened. The pokeball zapped open, literally. Sparks flew everywhere, crackling around as a small golden pokemon formed. The low, stubby pokemon had tiny electric conductors upon it’s head, where sparks still crackled every few moments. Thick, black stripes covered the Pokemon’s body on an angle.
“ Ooh! An Elekid!” Lisa squealed, in a voice that was extremely unlike her usual one. Jack stared at her with a puzzled expression, and Lisa mumbled. “ Heh heh … um, it’s cool. I like Elekid.”
“ Great!” Jack nodded, with a look of content.
“ Thanks very much,” said Lisa to Jack, then she turned to her new Pokemon. “ Come inside your ball, little Elekid. Ooh you’re so cute.”
Lisa shot out a jet of crimson light from the ball and Elekid disappeared in a flash. Jack climbed down to the lower deck, and Lisa clattered down after him. Aipom jumped down, and landed with a small, mischievous “Ai!”. Jack called out to the Captain. “ Frank, how long ‘til we dock?”
“ About twenty minutes.” The Captain croaked his reply. Lisa brightened up. Twenty minutes until she got to Red Rock Island. Twenty minutes until she finally got to sign up for the Whirlpool Cup. At last, she could begin the tournament.
“ Yeah, me an’ Frank might jus’ stay at the Pokemon Centre t’night.” Jack told Lisa. “ Is that where you’re stayin’?”
“ Um, probably.” Lisa said, remembering that she’d have to wait until tomorrow to sign up, the sky had already turned from umber to deep royal blue, with no sign of the crescent moon. “ Me and Gavin, that is.”
“ Oh yeah, him …” Jack said. “ Hey, what’s with his psychic thing again?”
Lisa sighed heavily. “ Jack, I told you before - forget it. He doesn’t believe he’s psychic.”
“ But the … the thing with the floatin’ …”
“ Forget it.” Lisa tried to add a tone of finality in her voice this time, just to make Jack shut up. Jack finally got the message, and shrugged. Lisa strode back to the other side of the boat, where Gavin sat now awake, rubbing his head rapidly. The legendary-loving girl pulled at her hair rapidly as she began to speak to him. “ Gavin, listen to me …”
The black-haired boy looked up at her. “ It’s real … Lisa you’re right … my telekinesis …”
Lisa was a little more than surprised to hear Gavin admit his abilities, but she tried to stay calm. “ Why didn’t you believe me before? Surely you knew it, Gavin, I mean, we could both remember the Radio Tower incident clearly.”
“ I know …” Gavin stuttered slowly. “ I just … well, look Lisa, I’ll tell you the truth, but in the end you’ll just think I’m a cuckoo with a cuckoo family.”
“ I promise I won’t,” assured Lisa. “ Go on.”
“ Lisa, my whole family is Psychic. Every single member of my family has developed their powers a little – most of them just deal with clairvoyancy and stuff. Only a couple of them – my cousin Sabrina, for instance, and my Uncle Will, have ever really concentrated their abilities. The Luper family goes through generations of Psychics. And they all have great lives – but short ones.”
“ What?!” Lisa demanded.
“ It’s an ancient curse that was placed on my great-great-great-great-infinitygreat-grandfather by a really strong Giant Gengar. It basically said that all psychics who stem from his family would be strong psychics – but sooner or later be tested by a GREAT PSYCHIC LEGEND when they neared their peak. As in, they would have to battle with a Psychic legendary pokemon.
"My mum told me about the curse when I was twelve," he muttered, bitterly.
Lisa didn’t reply, unsure whether or not to believe Gavin, as he was prone to making stupid jokes, but his face was serious, and as she had promised not to think of him disrespectfully, she nodded along. “ I see …”
“ Lisa, my Dad died when I was three years old,” Gavin replied. “ You might have noticed I’ve never even mentioned my family – my Mum died just over a year ago, but I had already … seen it coming.”
Her heart beating rapidly, rising in her chest, Lisa beckoned Gavin to continue his bizarre story.
“ She went out one night to behind the Tin Tower, to collect some herbs – she was the secondary supplier of potions to the Ecruteak Pokemart at the time. That’s the last I ever saw of her.”
Gavin’s face was miserable, but his voice remained steady. “ So I moved to Goldenrod to start fresh – nobody came after me. My Uncle Eusine is only twenty five, he’s still alive and kicking, but I know his time is close. And then – my powers were released, and the thought occurred to me that – well – my time might be up. And now …”
Lisa didn’t want to hear any more. She raised a shaking finger to her lips, and Gavin nodded silently, and went off into a pensive staring session. Lisa walked dazedly to where Aipom swung from the rails and stood there for some minutes as the boat entered the Red Rock Harbour, recovering from the bizarre conversation with Gavin, but strangely believed him.
A few seconds later, all travellers felt a light bump, and Lisa looked over the side of the craft. They were at a small port; docked next to a tiny wooden jetty. Lisa cheered weakly; finally! Then she looked up to the sky, and caught sight of the moon, surrounded by a golden white aura. I’m going to win the Whirlpool Cup. I have to.
Originally Posted by mr_pikachu
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