If you dig deep enough in the creative section, you’ll find my old “Mystic the Absol” fics from 2010/11. Figured it’d be nice to rewrite this little story and revive the literature section a bit!
Gonna do the first chapter and if the reception is good, we’ll go from there! Hope you all enjoy!
Synopsis: When Mystic and his sister Magi fall from the heights of Sky Fortress, the two siblings are separated from their family and from each other. When a passing Gardevoir named Marusaki notices an Absol laying in the snow, she brings him back to her home to let him heal. From there, the members of Team Legends learn about Mystic’s plight and vow to help him and his sister reunite!
Mystic the Absol - Chapter One
The stormy skies surrounding Sky Fortress roared with thunder. For the denizens of the ground, it would make a foreboding scene, but to those within the fortress it was business as usual. Deep within the Dark Path, a subsection of the massive dungeon, two Absol, a brother and a sister, found themselves glancing over the edge of the cloud barrier and down into the swirling storm clouds beneath them.
“Hmmm, I dunno, Mystic.” The sister whined cautiously, taking a step back from the gaping hole in front of them. As her eyes narrowed at the distance from where they stood down to the storm beneath them, she felt herself grow anxious.
Her brother gave her an assuring smirk. “Come on, Magi! Don’t you ever wonder what it’s like down there?”
Magi blinked, raising a brow at him. “Down there? You mean like the clouds?”
“No! I mean further than the clouds! Beneath the storm clouds and on the ground.” He lay sprawled out on the dark grey clouds at his feet, sighing dreamily as he thought about it all. “Fields of green grass, the warm sun, cool snow … don’t you just wanna see what it’s like?”
The younger Absol shifted on her paws. “Mama and Papa say that there’s nothing like that beneath the clouds. Maybe … maybe it’s all just fairy tales.”
Mystic gave a disgruntled sigh. “That’s not what Articuno said.”
“You’ve been to see Articuno?!” Magi’s eyes widened in awe. Her big brother was so special! “Wasn’t he dangerous?”
“It’s Zapdos and Moltres that aren’t very nice. So long as you’re not an intruder, Articuno doesn’t matter if you stop by to visit.” Mystic gave her a smile. “He’s told me all about the surface. That there’s Pokemon that live down there in communities.”
Magi could hardly believe what she was hearing. All this time she thought the only Pokemon that existed were in Sky Fortress only. Was there really a world beneath the one they knew so well?
“Articuno also says they’re dangerous.” Mystic’s eyes fell half lidded as he stared down at the clouds beneath them. “Or that they’re “meddlers”. They’re always coming here and looting the fortress.”
Magi felt herself grow tense. “So if they’re all bad, why would you ever wanna go somewhere so awful? Don’t you like it here?”
"The fortress is really small once you get used to it. "He sighed, pacing back and forth. “I like it here, but I want more. Imagine the two of us exploring other dungeons and unknown lands! Mystic and Magi-- the greatest sibling team to ever exist!”
She had to admit, hearing him hype them up like they were some famed explorers did get her excited. Magi couldn’t help but wag her tail at the thought of them finding new secrets somewhere in the world.
“I suppose … it is a little exciting.” She giggled. The exciting idea was quickly replaced with worry. “B-but … what if we run into those bad Pokemon down there? The ones that come looting the fortress?”
Mystic struck a pose, his confidence shining forth. “Your big brother will be there to protect you, of course!” Though he was only older than her by a year or so, he was still plenty protective of his baby sister. “Together, there’s nobody that could stop us!”
Despite being so young and naive, Mystic had a bold attitude. He knew little about the world, but that wouldn’t stop him from seeing it all. Someday he’d leave Sky Fortress and he and Magi would see it all for themselves.
… Someday.
He urged Magi to come closer to the cloud barrier to take a peek at the clouds with him again. Despite her uncertainty, she crept closer to look down into the storm with her brother.
“You really think it’s possible to get beneath the clouds?” She gulped. “Would we have to … jump?”
“I’m uh … not too sure.” Mystic admitted. “I’d have to talk more with Articuno. He’d probably know. Soon though, we’ll find a way to see the surface. Then we can prove once and for all to mom and dad that it really does exist! Maybe then they’ll let us–”
The siblings’ conversation was abruptly disturbed by the sound of the clouds rumbling beneath them. An earthquake? In the sky? Was it even possbile? Magi looked to her brother with a horrified expression.
“Mystic?!” She cried out.
Before he could even try to comfort her, the siblings crossed path with a Pokemon they had never seen before. A Swampert stood before them with a smirk on their face-- but this Swampert was unlike anything the duo had seen before.
Without even a shred of fear, Mystic stood between the foe and his sister, ready to protect her at any cost. Articuno had told him once before to be careful when visiting the paths of the dungeon. Pokemon from the surface would often traverse these paths and Mystic, foolish as ever, wanted to catch a glimpse of such a Pokemon. He never thought he’d come face to face with one, ready to go on the attack.
“Magi, listen to me.” Mystic said to her in a whisper. When he heard her let out a whimper, he continued. “I’m gonna take care of this guy and you’re gonna make a run for it, okay?”
“B-but!”
Mystic heard the newcomer mention something about Mystic’s pelt. Sure, he looked different from every other Absol in the Dark Path, but … what did his coat have to do with anything? He watched as the Swampert pulled out a shimmering mask from their bag. Fearing for his and his sister’s life, Mystic went on the offensive!
He charged at the Swampert who was much, much bigger than him. Letting out a roar, the small reddish Absol slammed into the Swampert, making them drop their mask. In an effort to keep the treasure away from his enemy, he snatched it up in his mouth. At that point, the Swampert grew furious. Mystic could see it in their eyes.
As Magi watched on, utterly horrified, she made eye contact with Mystic. In his own way, he was begging her to start running. Knowing her brother better than anybody, Magi started to run-- and she ran like her life depended on it.
In a last ditch effort to get their mask back, the Swampert slammed their hands into the dark clouds beneath them. They split apart and shook violently as they used Earthquake.Somehow, Mystic managed to dodge with the strange mask still in tact.
He glanced back and saw Magi struggling atop the cracking clouds. Fearing for her, he ran to be at her side-- but he never made it.
A loud roar blasted Mystic’s eardrums. The last glimpse he got of the Swampert was shrouded by a wall of muddy water barrelling towards him. As the water crashed into him and Magi, he watched in horror as the water swept over the cloud barrier and began pouring into the storm clouds beneath them. To his shock, he watched Magi flop helplessly over the edge, letting out a scream.
Mystic tried to help himself, but the current was far too powerful. Unable to see the Swampert as he fell off the fortress, he closed his eyes tight and waited for the impact of the ground beneath him. He felt the static of the storm clouds and then a gust of freezing cold air around him.
However, before he met with the ground, he had luckily passed out.
… … … …
“I remember when you were just a little Poliwag, Earth Star!” A shiny Gardevoir chimed enthusiastically. “You sure have grown!”
Beside her was a Politoed who strummed a simple guitar as they walked along the snowy path ahead of them. Behind his star shaped glasses, big friendly eyes stared back up at the Gardevoir.
“I’m thankful to have been given this opportunity to train you, Maru.” He said coolly.
The Gardevoir’s happy demeanor left her as he said that. “I guess you’re still looking to leave once you’re done training?”
Earth Star strummed a melody on the guitar, playing a familiar tune to both he and Marusaki. “I won’t leave the team entirely, if that’s alright with you. I just wanna see the sights on my own. Maybe chill in Archford for a while. Winden and Tanren are nice, but … I’m thinkin’ a warmer vibe is best for me right now. Ya dig?”
He always had a funny way of talking, and it just made Marusaki laugh. She nodded. “You’re always welcome on Team Legends, Earth Star. I’ll make sure Cornelius gives you a good sum of money before you head out. It should last you a few months.”
The Politoed shook his head and gave a chuckle as he raised a hand to his friend. “Your charity is heartwarming, Maru. I’ll be fine though. Save your funds to upgrade the base. Have you forgotten I’m a minstrel? I can make my own money.”
As if she could forget with Earth Star playing his love songs all day and night. Most time the Politoed got too caught up playing his songs in dungeons that he’d end up choking down three or more Reviver Seeds! … But she never gave him any trouble over it. He was having fun after all! She only hoped he’d be alright on his own.
As they approached the base of Mt. Stormhold, Marusaki glanced longingly into the storm clouds above them. A low rumble of thunder permeated the air. Though a sense of adventure filled her veins, a sense of melancholy also overcame her.
“One more Sky Fortress run?” She turned to Earth Star, a sad expression crossing her face. Despite it all she tried her best to put on a smile. “I can call Altair to get us up to the entrance.”
Earth Star chuckled, putting his guitar away. “If that’s the case … I better stay focused then. Can’t have you taking all the glory.”
With the teammates in agreement, both Marusaki and Earth Star began their ascent up the rocky walls to Mt. Stormhold’s base. As they climbed, they were pummeled with the all too familiar stinging sensation of hail and snow. Marusaki often remembered her first time coming here-- and it was an experience she’d never forget.
Even bringing her friends here gave her that feeling of adrenaline. Euwyn, Tidepool, Serenade, Dusk … all of them stormed Sky Fortress magnificently. Watching them overcome the challenges was in a way reminiscent of when she first scaled the fortress.
Marusaki had been shaken from her thoughts when she felt Earth Star tug at her dress. He shouted over the gusting wind and hail, glancing up at his Team Leader. “Maru! D’ya see that?!”
She followed his gaze and squinted, noticing a clump of … something in the snow at the base of Mt. Stormhold. Picking up her speed, she put all her effort into scaling the rock face. Once her and Earth Star made it to a safer location, they ran to whatever it was her friend had spotted.
As they approached the snowy mound beside the sheer mountain cliff, Marusaki let out a gasp when she saw someone buried in the snow. Earth Star realizing he had just found a body widened his eyes in horror. The two of them rushed over in a panic, ready to help however they could.
Marusaki dusted the snow away from the stranger’s face, revealing a young shiny Absol buried in the cold mound. They weren’t moving much at all, and yet he shivered fiercely.
“Is he breathing?” Earth Star asked, as he reached into his treasure bag.
“A little …” Marusaki rested a hand on the fluff of his neck, trying to feel for a pulse. “He’s weak, but he’s alive.”
“We gotta get him back down the mountain.” He pulled out an Oran Berry from his bag, ready to feed it to the young boy. “This should work, yeah?”
Marusaki shook her head. “An Oran Berry won’t work-- he’s already fainted. Do we have any Reviver Seeds?”
Earth Star sifted through the bag, muttering a curse under his breath when he didn’t find anything. “No. I was gonna restock once we made it to the fortress.”
“We’ll just have to carry him back to Winden then!” Marusaki said assuredly. She stood up, the snow crunching beneath her feet as she hauled the Absol up and over her shoulder. Despite being young, he was still plenty heavy.
“Lemme help at least.” Earth Star stood beside his leader, letting her ease some of the Absol’s weight onto his own shoulder. Before they left their spot, Earth Star noticed something on the ground. Making sure they didn’t leave behind anything, he picked up …
“Maru, look!” He showed her his find buried with the Absol.
“He had a Golden Mask on him?!” She glanced back at the unconscious Absol with worry in her eyes. “Bring it with us. We’ll return it to him once he recovers …”
And with that, the duo began their long trek through the cold back to Winden.
She hadn’t expected to find someone buried in the snow like this. Every expedition up to Sky Fortress had always been rather uneventful. Perhaps this was the universe’s way of giving her more time with Earth Star … Or maybe new friends came to the Gardevoir in mysterious ways.
Nonetheless, she only hoped they’d make it in time …
To be continued …
Feedback and critiques are always welcome!! <3