Starry Night

Entry #9
We've finally reached the other side of Sheer Mountain Range. It wasn't an easy task, it took us another 2 hours of climbing up before needing to climb all the way down. By the time we reached ground level, the sun had already begun to set.
Gadget said we should camp by this plains near a river, said its the perfect spot as she has used this place in the past. We're close to the next dungeon, Gentle Slope Cave, after that, it's a smooth journey to Lively Town.
Being all the way out here makes me realize how much I actually miss Serene Village. The peaceful atmosphere, the villagers and my classmates. With everything that has happened, I almost forgot that I used to even be a human, weird right? You would think that was the one thing I would be worrying about. But I guess this world just has a lot of things to distract me from that thought to ever cross my mind.
A part of me wish it stayed that way, while the other still wants to know what is my purpose here.
Guess only time will tell.
----Ian looked up from his notebook to see Gadget with Patience watching, trying to start a fire for the campfire with a pair of rocks. She repeatedly struck the stones together, hoping that the friction would cause enough heat to ignite the wood, but to no avail. Patience rolled her eyes and launched Ember onto the pile of woods, igniting it instantaneously. Gadget looked at Patience in surprise, then at the fire and face palmed herself in embarrassment at the sudden realization. Patience giggled shortly after.
Ian smiled at the interaction of the two girls. It was nice seeing the two interacting together in a time like this, really lightens up the mood. The mudfish Pokemon flipped to the end of his notebook, where he had placed all the letters the villagers of Serene Village had given them, folded and arranged nicely together to fit into his notebook. Next to it was the drawing received from their classmates.
"We won't let you guys down, we promise." Ian said to himself, looking at the drawing before closing the notebook and placing it back into his bag. He walked over to Patience and Gadget who were both removing food from their bags.
"I hope one of you know how to cook." Ian said. "Because I don't want to burn this entire forest down."
----Ten days, they still had ten days before he strikes again.
Ampharos read the letter for the fifth time since leaving Pokemon Square. Although he couldn't exactly see the words written on the paper, with it being the middle of the night and almost a few hundred kilometers from land, He remembered it by heart.
"But where? Where is he going next?"
"Hmm? Did you say something back there?" Lapras, their sea transport back to Lively Town asked.
"No, just thinking out loud." Ampharos replied. The lighthouse Pokemon kept the letter back into his bag and tried getting some shut eye on the very uncomfortable, but spacious back of Lapras. Mawile, who was next to him, had her arms crossed and head facing down, sleeping soundly. The lighthouse Pokemon was confused at how she is doing so, either she had done this enough times to find the perfect position of sleeping on a Lapras, or she's just a very heavy sleeper. Ampharos sighed, he envied Mawile for being able to sleep, because he couldn't.
Sleep is both be a miracle and a curse, it can help a Pokemon forget all the troubles and worries throughout the day temporally. But it's just that, temporally. Once they wake up, it's business as usual, no amount of sleep can make a problem go away.
Ampharos looked up and was greeted with the sight of countless of stars, some shined brighter than others, while others were of slightly different colours, he sighed, the starry night only reminded him of someone whom he had taught the many constellations to, someone he honestly wished would come back so he could help.
"Gadget..." He whispered.
----Ian opened his eyes after spending the last twenty minutes tossing and turning in bed, trying to fall asleep. He looked around the rest of the camp and saw Patience huddled and sleeping quietly, but Gadget was nowhere to be found, her bed was empty. Confused, the mudfish Pokemon decided to get out of bed, he might as well do some stretching to tire himself out. It was then, he saw Gadget, who was sitting by a tree next to the river, looking up at the night sky.
Eh, might as well. Ian thought.
Ian approached the gleam eyes Pokemon and noticed that she was holding a piece of paper in her hand, looking at it and then at the sky shortly after.
"Can't sleep?" He asked.
Gadget turned in surprise and when she saw him quickly relaxed.
"Something like that." She replied. He ushered the mudfish Pokemon to join her, as he sat next to her.
"What's that you got there?" Ian asked.
"A star chart." Gadget replied. "You've learned about constellations in school right?"
"Yeah, Pokemon used the stars long ago to determine where they were."
"Correct, but nowadays we don't use it anymore. I enjoy studying the constellations. It's sort of like my hobby." Gadget passed the star chart over to Ian, there were all kinds of stars that were arrange in the shape of Pokemon's.
"Look up there." Gadget pointed. "Do you see the few stars that shined brighter than the others?"
Ian looked up at the night sky and tried to see what Gadget was talking about, it wasn't exactly easy to pick a few distinct stars out of thousands in a sea of them. After awhile, he saw a few stars that were indeed brighter than the others.
"Yeah, I see it."
"That's the constellation Tauros, named after the Pokemon of the same name."
Ian looked at the star chart and saw the constellation Gadget had mentioned, the stars were connected together and it indeed matched with the arrangement of the stars.
"That's pretty cool." Ian said.
"It is indeed." Gadget said. "Ampharos taught me astrology back then, who knew I would be this interested in stars."
Again, Gadget mentions Ampharos. It got Ian curious now, was she an acquaintance? There's only one way to find out.
"How do you know Ampharos?" He asked. He noticed the sudden change in expression on Gadget's face, one of uncertainty and nervousness, something he has never seen come from the stone cold Gadget.
"I... Uh..." She stuttered. "It's a long story..."
"Not like I have anything better to do." Ian said. "So do tell me."
Gadget turned from the mudfish Pokemon, gave out a long sigh. It was time she told someone about all this anyway.
"You see... I used to be a part of the Expedition Society." She started off. "I'm pretty sure you figured this out already, but Ampharos's the leader of the Expedition Society."
Ian took the reveal with a slight hint of surprise, he had already figured that out a long time ago. Although Patience was probably going to be in for a surprise when they join the Society.
"I joined up with the Expedition Society when I was a mere Luxio and I left the comfort of my home of Amp Plains in the Grass Continent, on a journey to be stronger. I bumped into him during my travels and he had asked me to join the Expedition Society, which I immediately accepted. I thought to myself 'I'm going to join the Expedition Society, I'm going to become strong and made my clan proud!' And so, I became the Society's Ranger: My job is to explore dangerous dungeons when none of the other members were capable for the task. I would always volunteer myself for it, I want to challenge myself, to become the strongest and become the best."
Gadget walked towards the river and looked into the water, her reflection looked back at her from the moonlight above.
"So you evolved?" Ian asked.
"Correct, when I did, I was proud of myself, I had became stronger than I ever was, and I wanted to return to my clan, my parents, and showed them how much I've grown since leaving. But that was when..."
Ian noticed Gadget clenched her paws, her body notably shaking.
This can't be good.
"When I returned to Amp Plains, I saw... my clan, everyone that I know and love, being turned into stone by an unknown assailant. Shocked, I rushed to find my parents, hoping that maybe, just maybe, that they haven't suffered the same fate. What I was greeted with were my parents, looking up at something and a flash of light blinded me. When I came to, they were gone..., they had been turned into stone. If only I had been there earlier by a FEW SECONDS I COULD'VE-" Gadget stopped herself, and punched the nearby tree in frustration, taking Ian by surprise, he hasn't seen this much anger in a Pokemon before.
"At that point, I was broken, time slowed down, my whole body trembled, for the first time, I was lost, scared."
"Anyone would felt the same way on you posi-"
"But what did I do?! I ran away! I was a coward and I did nothing to try and catch the culprit." Tears were streaming down Gadget's eyes.
Serious as Gadget is, even she has feelings too, and now I feel bad for thinking she's emotionless. Ian thought.
"Great, I'm crying." She said, hastily wiping the tears out of her eyes.
"What happened then? What did you do?" Ian asked.
"I vowed revenge, I wanted to make sure the culprit suffered before I brought him to justice. But Ampharos, he didn't agree with my methods, said that revenge isn't the best option, but I wasn't having any of that, he didn't know what I had been through. And so I left the Expedition Society, going on my own in search of the one responsible for turning my family into stone. Six months, six long months of searching, but nothing. Having little to no choice, I have to return to the Society... I need their help. But what would they think of me? A cold, emotionless shell of who I used to be? A blood hungry Pokemon who wants nothing but revenge? I honestly don't know..."
"I no doubt think that everyone will welcome you back with open arms, especially Ampharos." Ian comforted.
"Only one way to find out..." The two remained silent for what seemed like an eternity, Ian didn't know what to think of the new information of Gadget he had just been bombarded with. One thing's for sure though, he wasn't going to sleep peacefully tonight.
"By the way." Gadget said. "What's your name? I decided to take you and your friend on my journey and I didn't even have the decency of asking your names."
"My name is Ian, and my friend's name is Patience." He replied.
"Those are nice names." Gadget said.
"And what about you? You never told us your real name."
The gleam eyes Pokemon closed her eyes and pondered for a brief moment, before finally deciding.
"Luxray." She said. "My real name is Luxray, my parents liked to call me Gadget for my fascination with anything technological."
It was then, Ian noticed something that surprised him, a faint glimmer of something Gadget still had deep within her.
She was smiling.
"It's getting late, I think we should both turn in for the night. And thanks... For listening to this lonely Pokemon's story."
"No problem." Ian said. "Goodnight, Luxray."
Gadget made no comment on that and simply let out a scoff, as she went to her bed a lay down. Ian laid down on his bed as well, feeling tired now from all the talk. He wasn't sure how was he going to tell all of this to Patience,
For she was sleeping soundly, never hearing a word from the conversation between him and Gadget.
But in truth, Patience had heard everything, she too was unable to sleep, but decided to just remain in bed, hoping she would eventually fall asleep. When Ian began talking with Gadget, she couldn't help but listening in as well.
She knew about everything now, Ampharos's true identity, Gadget's past and her real name, Luxray. The fire fox Pokemon felt a sense of sadness within her, pitying what the gleam eyes Pokemon had been through, makes her feel extremely lucky and blessed that she had people like her pops, the village, that were there for her.
Even Ian, especially Ian.
She pushed those thoughts away and decided it was time to sleep for real as well. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, just a bit more of travelling before they finally reached their destination, where her dreams can finally be achieved.
Lively Town.