Deep Breaths Underwater

Prologue

Laughter echoed in the forest air as two children ran through the trees, stumbling on their wobbly legs as they tried their best to keep their balance. The older of the two, a boy, tugged on his little sister’s arm, dragging her forward. “Hurry, Sissy! You’re such a Slowpoke! We gotta get back home before dark. The dark is scary.”

The girl shook her head, but followed her brother to where ever they were going anyway. “The dark isn’t scary at all!” she boasted to him, puffing out her chest to try and look brave and strong. However, trying to multitask was too complicated for her to do, and in her clumsiness she forgot to look at her own feet as she ran. She felt her foot catch on something, and down she fell, dragging her brother down with her.

They fell together in a heap with an audible thump. “Hey! What was that for?” he asked in an annoyed tone. He shoved her off of his leg gently, as to not hurt her. He had control of his anger, and compared to his sister, at times, it was as if he had no anger.

Once again, his sister proved the theory as she glared at him, making a face, “I didn’t mean to. I tripped.” She pushed herself onto her knees, watching as her brother did the same. “Are we there yet? I don’t wanna be blamed for something else.” She said mockingly, sticking her tongue out at him.

He rolled his eyes, standing up and offering a hand to help her stand as well. “We’re here already! It’s behind that green blob.” He answered, pointing at something in between leafy tree branches. He took her hand and pulled her towards what he had been pointing at, tossing the branches out of their way.

“What is it? I don’t see it.” The girl whined, afraid to run anymore. She remembered what had happened last time. She could have sworn that fall had given her a bruise. Her brother pushed back the last branch and dragged her out into a small clearing. She looked up at the now visible giant cave in the mountain face before them, unimpressed, “Is this it?”

Her brother frowned, “It’s more than a cave, Sissy!” He looked around them to make sure no one was listening, and then leaned forward to whisper in his sister’s ear, “There’s something inside. And it’s all yellow and sparkly.”

She gasped excitedly, “You mean treasure?!” She lowered her voice when her brother anxiously waved his hand at her to do so. “But do you mean treasure? The kind that Papa says changes lives?” As the boy nodded to her, she squealed, “Will Papa be happy we got the life changing treasure stuff for him?”

“Yep! Why wouldn’t he be?” His sister shrugged at him, and he grinned, “Come on, let’s go.” He took her hand and led her toward the giant rocks that blocked the bottom of the cave entrance. He helped her crawl onto the top of the rock before following her up.

The girl slid off the rock into the cave, immediately noticing the difference in light. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her. “Are you sure this is safe? Is there anything... in there?” She asked nervously, pointing a finger at the darkness that only loomed a few feet ahead of her.

“What? Are you scared?” Her brother teased, jumping off the rock onto the stone below. “Weren’t you just saying the dark isn’t scary at all?”

She winced and turned her head away, “Th-th-the dark isn’t scary!” She yelled, more to herself than anything. “C-Come on, Brother. Let’s g-go get the treasure.” Stuttering and trembling, she took her brother’s hand and led him into the dark shadows.

Soon enough, it was the boy that was leading them through the darkness, and he had to literally tow his sister behind him to do it. “Use your legs, you lazy Slowpoke!” he sighed, pulling on her arm, “And you called me a Slowpoke...” He stopped and turned around to face her, dragging her close enough to put his arms on her shoulders. He shook her slightly, “It’s gonna be okay. Nothing’s here. Just look for something yellow and sparkly. Mama and Papa will be so happy when we bring it home...”

She frowned. Their parents had been awfully sad and angry lately, though they had tried to hide it. If this treasure made them happy, she would just have to find it. She hesitatingly took a step forward and looked around, but she didn’t see anything. “I don’t see-“ she stopped midsentence, pointing at something that had flashed, “I think I saw it!”

She giggled triumphantly and ran towards the flashing object, which had flashed again. Oddly enough, the object seemed to be moving away from them... but that didn’t stop her from chasing it. Her brother tried to call her back but she didn’t listen. She stumbled along, barely avoiding falling or tripping on the rocks below. She ran after the object until it disappeared, lost in the surrounding darkness.

The darkness blinded her, and, unable to see, she ran face first into a wall. “OW!” She exclaimed, falling backwards from the impact. Rubbing her nose, which had been squished when she had crashed into the wall, she grumbled to herself, “Why did the wall have to be there?”

She sniffled and shivered, looking around. Where had that object gone? Without that object she couldn’t make her parents happy, and she was left alone with her brother in the dark. Speaking of her brother, where was he? “Brother?”

A hand laid itself on her shoulder. “There you are, Brother!” She exclaimed, turning to see her brother better. Granted, it was dark, but she was sure she would at least be able to see his eyes. His eyes always glittered with green and white sparkles, even at night. “Hey, Brother, did you see where the-“ she stopped suddenly, staring up at something in fear.

Above her loomed the yellow and sparkly treasure, two triangles that hovered in the now navy shadows. Fire seemed to whip around the treasure, and she could vaguely feel a burning heat coming from it, as if the treasure was freshly made. As she stared, the yellow triangles seem to blink down at her, and the hand on her shoulder tightened. She whimpered...

And she screamed.

Author’s Note:

Disclaimer: No I do not own Pokemon. Nor will I ever. So!

With that I hope you enjoy my fanfic. It’s my first one, so advice is greatly appreciated. :D If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll answer all reviews, questions, or any comments on my profile page, so check there to see if I answered! I may also PM, if the question you ask would be more suited for that. :D

This Chapter was Re-Done. I feel more comfortable with it this way. I hope everyone likes this version better as well. :D

I even made it so it's on the right! Hurrei if it's better for someone! XD
--Exact Word Count: 1,074--
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