From: Maria Rocket <mobius101@aol.compactpika> Subject: [PW!] Maiden's Peak! Date: Monday, August 23, 1999 5:44 AM >As Seth fretted, though, 'Slasher' began rubbing harder and harder >against the human statue. Before Seth noticed, June began to topple, >then fall over...right over the cliff. > >They were only halfway towards Maiden's Peak, but that was still high >enough to make a fall from the cliff painful. June seemed to recover >from her paralysis after only a few feet - although maybe it was the >forceful jolting against the cliff's face that violently recontorted >her. The fact that she never screamed as she fell lent weight to the >latter theory. > >"Huh? Hey!" Seth, showing an amazing speed at recovery from his >contemplation, only noticed once June was halfway down. He never saw >what caused her to fall; he only saw her land at the base of the cliff - >not really even a beach, as the water was high enough to wash back and >forth over June's broken form. "Someone call an ambulance!" > >Aerie came running up. "What's going on? Slasher just ran off and..." >She looked where Seth was looking. "Uh-oh...umm, Seth, there's no way >they'll get an ambulance down there. It's too rocky and narrow. We'll >have to go in ourselves." > >"Down there? How." > >"You've never gone mountain climbing, have you?" > >"*I* didn't grow up *in* a mountain." > >Aerie rolled her eyes, then leapt down the cliff face, jumping from >outcropping to outcropping. Seth blanched, more than once swearing that >Aerie had missed her jump before she seemed to find footing out of >nowhere. Once Aerie was down, she called back up, "I'll have to carry >her carefully, in case anything's broken. Get some help, and I'll meet >you where the beach begins!" She carefully picked up June and began >walking in the rolling tide, making sure never to get more than >knee-deep. > >"Right. Come on, Slasher!" Seth began running back towards the >village, with 'Slasher' close behind. > >"Sian, sian." > >"She'll only be in a coma and wake up with partial amnesia? How do you >know that?" > >"Purr." 'Slasher' shrugged. > >Something itched at the back of Seth's mind, but he ignored it in his >race to find assistance. > "HELP!" Seth pushed his way through the crowded streets. "Somebody's hurt here! Help!" Most turned to look, but just looked confused. Then he spotted what he was looking for. "ARC!" Officer Jenny was quite surprised when she looked up from her beat to see an Arcanine wearing black sunglasses charging straight at her. Before she could react, it had skid between her legs, and she landed roughly onto it's back. "HEY!" She held on tightly as the Arcanine whirled around and bolted. Everything around her was a blur. She could hear all the screaming people, but she couldn't see them run and jump out of the way. Then there was hard jolt, a weightlessness, then... "OOF!" The impact made Jenny lose her grip, and she went flying over his head. Seth just cringed and tucked his ears back as Jenny finally stopped, lying prone in the sand, sparkling dust clouds settling around her. He stepped over and nodded her with his big wet nose. "Nine!" "Hold it right there!" Jenny whipped an arm out and grabbed Seth by the fur under his throat and tugged him down. He choked as she pulled herself up. "I've got you now, you stray mongrel! You're under arrest for walking without a leash!" As Seth whined in protest, she heard footsteps. When she looked up, Jenny saw a young woman in a black flowing gown run up carrying what looked like an unconscious Nurse Joy in a brown robe. She couldn't see very well in the bright sunlight, but the robe appeared to be soaked with blood. "Oh my gosh! What happened!?" She collected Nurse June from Aerie even as the latter attempted to explain as best she could, despite the fact that she hadn't even witnessed it. "We've got to get her to a hospital immediately!" Jenny ran off fast as the other officers finally found her. Aerie slowly followed down the beach. She stopped when she reached Seth and scratched behind his ears. "Lucky for you that was more important than a stray Pokemon." Seth had closed his eyes and was making a noise that could almost be called purring. He rubbed his yellow mane against Aerie's hand. "Mmm.....hey, what's with the dress?" He grinned and lifted a brow. "Well, I didn't want to be seen in that Rocket-type outfit. This was all I could think of at short notice. I think I'll change it once we're done here...." "Aw, don't change too soon...Ooof!" He staggered momentarily while Aerie got her footing before sitting on top of him. She sat side-saddle style and patted his back with a smile. "Okay, then you neither, I've walked enough. Let's go to that hospital Jenny was going to. Just don't go rushing off breakneck like a minute ago." She got a better grip on him. Seth took off towards the trail at a strong, but steady gallop. "Another hospital.....this is becoming a trend for us, I think. Arcan!" On their way there he told her about what Nurse June had discovered. Somewhere on the cliff above them, 'Slasher' watched them through slitted, glowing yellow eyes. Then he slunk around with a whip of his tail and disappeared. He missed a Pidgey landing on the beach moments later. It scratched it's claw in the sand and bobbed it's head for a second curiously, like any Pidgey. Then it hopped forward two steps and tilted it's head. "Where go? Here minute ago. Mimic findddd...." *** By the time Aerie and Seth reached the hospital, Officer Jenny was walking out. She paused as Aerie slid off Seth's back and met her on foot. Seth stayed just behind, watching Jenny, still feeling embarrassed for throwing her. "So, that's your Arcanine?" "Yeah, he's mine." Aerie smiled. "Sorry if he handled you a bit roughly. He can be like that sometimes." "It's okay, it was an emergency. You should be proud to have such a loyal Pokemon." Jenny smiled. "Yes, I am, though I'm a little afraid all this talk may go to his head," Aerie giggled with a pat to Seth's head. His cheeks were reddening beneath the fur. "Is the nurse going to be okay?" "Well, she had a pretty nasty fall," Jenny sighed. "But the doctors think she has a good chance of pulling out okay." She gave Aerie a serious look. "By the way, who is she exactly? She looks like one of the Joys, but I've never seen her before, and our local Joy hasn't said anything about a visiting relative. In a small town like this, something like that doesn't exactly go unnoticed." Aerie shook her head and curled her arm around Seth's bowed head. "I'm really not sure. I didn't even see her until she fell." "Hmm....well, hopefully this can be cleared up once Nurse Joy can be located." Jenny gave them a tip of her cap. "Well, there's still a festival to police, so I must be on my way now. Thanks for the help, and you have fun now!" Seth and Aerie watched as Officer Jenny walked away. Then Seth exhaled loudly. As he did so, his form shimmered with light and reformed into his default human shape. He looked over at Aerie, who still had her arm around him. Aerie was giving the hospital building a faraway look. "Doppler did it." "Doppler? C'mon, we lost him..." Aerie flinched. "No, I feel him. He's around somewhere." Seth frowned. "Aerie.....you're just....feeling things. Nurse June tripped." "Oh yeah? You think it was some sort of coincidence that she talks to you about Mimic and Doppler right before she 'trips?' He's here, and there's no telling how much he already knows." Seth couldn't help taking a quick glance around. He only saw Slasher pad up and sit nearby to preen his whiskers. Seth looked back to Aerie, who was still watching the building. "So, how is she?" "Asleep." Seth felt a moment's relief. "See, she's alive. If it was Doppler, he would have killed her." "You don't know my father very well, Seth." "Maybe not." He scooped Aerie off her feet in one swoop. "HEY! What do you think you're doing!?" She could see his emerald green eyes sparkle at her from behind his shades. "I brought you here to have fun! And I'm going to make sure you have a good time, Doppler or no Doppler! Ol' Dopplerganger can lurk in any mysterious place you think he is all he wants...." He grinned and kissed her forehead. "He'll just be missing out!" Aerie smiled widely and threw her arms around his neck in an embrace. Fun....maybe a little fun couldn't hurt. *** "AAAAAAAHHHH!!! LETOFFLETOOOOF!!!" Nibbling a corndog, Aerie turned at the loud cry from Spinning Blackhole ride nearby. She tugged on Seth's sleeve to pull him back. "Hey, doesn't that sound like...?" Seth drew back in shock when something small shot out of the Spinning Blackhole's ceiling portal. It was purplish in color and went careening out into the sky so fast, that it was soon just a glint in the sky. Seth and Aerie stared. Aerie had the corndog in her mouth, so Seth said it for both of them. "Mimic?" Nearby, a little boy was pointing at the sky. "Look Mommy, a flying Ditto!" His mother patted his head with a humored grin. "Now Timmy, Ditto can't learn any HMs!" "But Mommmyyyy....!" He whined as his mother dragged him off. Meanwhile, Seth and Aerie stood where they were for awhile. "Think he's coming back down?" "I don't see him yet..." Seth could see the stars staring to appear in the dark blue sky that was washing into the pinkish-purple sky. "Well, I'm sure he'll be dropping in again soon." He bit his lip and looked down, remembering something. "Oh well......c'mon!" He took her by the hand and pulled her away quickly. He could feel Slasher running after them. #Slash! Hold back a bit and lookout for Mimic, okay?# Seth heard the reply faintly, like a mumble. But he couldn't hear Slasher following, so he assumed it was understood. Soon Seth had led Aerie far from the lights and sounds of the festival below them. They ran up though the woods, leaving the trail for the straight route to the top of the peak. Aerie followed quite well despite the dress, jumping a great deal to avoid bushes and stray branches. "Seth! Where are we going?" "Here!" Seth had stopped. Beyond him, the woods had ceased. She walked over and looked around. There were a few buildings surrounding the grassy clearing, but it was pretty much deserted on account of the festival far below. She poked at Seth. "Hey, where's the party?" "We'll get back to the party," Seth chuckled. "It lasts for about a week anyway. But there's something neat I want to show you." He took her hand and tugged it to encourage her along. "It had better be good mr. bluenette! I dropped my corndog back there!" Another short walk later, and Aerie found herself looking over a steel balcony. Placing a her fingertips on the cold metal in surprise, she took in the vast horizon. The view was fantastic. From there she could see far out to sea. As the last desperate rays of sunlight reached out to touch the sky, the ocean waters glimmered in farewell. Following the dying of the light, only the moonlight was left to keep the great mirror company. Aerie crossed her arms and shivered at a sudden ocean breeze. "Winter's trying to come early," Seth said softly, putting an arm around her to pull her close. "But it'll just have to wait." The salty breeze played with the strands of their hair. Seth momentarily wondered if it could feel it the same way he could feel Aerie's violet hair in his fingers. Aerie snuggled against Seth's chest. The arm that wasn't around him rested on his free arm. She turned her eyes to the shoreline below. They could see into the far distance, and the shoreline appeared to be alive with fireflies. The festival, no doubt. She allowed herself to relax in Seth's arms. "It's beautiful Seth...." "Not as beautiful as you," He whispered in response. His eyes softened watching her. "But I didn't just bring you here for the scenery. Look over there." Just knowing he meant the large rock that stood a few feet from the cliff, Aerie looked up. "A rock?" Seth nuzzled against her neck. "Not just a rock......that's Maiden's Peak." Aerie squinted her eyes at it. "Doesn't look like granite....." Seth burst out in laughter. "No.....look closer!" "It's dark Seth....and I think you're seeing things!" She gave him a playfully annoyed look. "Must be your shades." She reached up and lovingly pushed them up off his face. Just then, a nearby streetlamp finally clicked on at it's regularly scheduled time. Suddenly the rock was illuminated to reveal the unmistakable shape of a girl. It looked just like it had been carved by a master sculptor. She wore a gown and had long flowing hair. Aerie stared in awe. "Wow......if I didn't know better I'd think she was frozen in place. She looks so real." "Well....according to local legend, she did. Turned to stone after waiting so long in that spot." Seth nodded. "Waiting for a lost lover who never returned." "You can't expect me to believe that..." Aerie scoffed. Seth shrugged and leaned against the railing with her. "I dunno. Dad used to tell me some pretty freaky stories about that statue. I was never really sure if he was pulling my leg or not. He sounded pretty convincing. And he could never lie very well." "Hmm..." Aerie had been reading a small plaque on the railing. "Then she must have had some great legs to be able to stand still long enough to turn to stone like that. I know I'd have to sit once and awhile." Seth looked away from the rock. "Don't worry Aerie, I won't ever leave you. That's a promise." He looked over at her and couldn't stop smiling. "No?" She looked up at him, and he was surprised to see there were tears in her eyes. Then she looked away. "I know you still want to infiltrate Team Rocket.....as if Doppler wasn't enough trouble. As long as you remain associated with those horrible people, I just can't believe that kind of promise. Not even from you, Seth." She sobbed softly. Seth tightened his arms around her, allowing her body to mold deeper against him. "Aerie.....this is a promise I'm going to keep. Nothing has ever kept me from you, and nothing ever will. I love you, and you know it." They were so involved in their feelings that neither were aware of the feline shadow lying in the grass nearby. Doppler swung his tail back and forth, keeping the rest of his body low. Dopplerganger, indeed.... "Seth, I'm afraid." "Me too." Seth swallowed and glanced up at the rock. If you're real......tell me what to do. Please, help me comfort her somehow.... Suddenly, the impulse fell upon him. Seth felt Aerie shaking in his arms, and he started to shake himself. He was more than afraid now. He was terrified......he tried not to hyperventilate. Why not? She'll break your heart, that's why. Seth shook his head. No, that wasn't important. He had to let her know just how much she meant to him. The biggest promise in the world... And no matter what the outcome... "Seth, you're really shaking...." "Aerie...." Seth squeaked. "I-I...." Damn it, spit it out already! He swallowed and pulled back to look Aerie in the eyes. Immediately he felt his knees go weak. "SETH!" Aerie struggled to support him, but Seth fell down on one knee. He looked back up at her, his eyes tearing up with emotion. "Aerie....." He croaked. Aerie looked on him with wide worried eyes. "Seth, are you feeling okay?" "Aerie...." Seth didn't respond, only gently squeesing her assisting hands in his own. He was terrified, but he knew it was right..... He was as sure of that as he had the moment he had followed her to this world. He took a deep breath. "Aerie...will you marry me?" TBC? ~Maria R "Psy yie yie..." ----- Webber: http://purplestudio.webjump.com ----- "Taking Pokemon straight from your pockets, With the power of the stars, it's Maria Rocket!" -My corny PW! motto ^.^; --- Rocketshipper Forever! --- TEOTWAWKI