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Silhouette Gloom of the Sundown Lands
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Judges: Vote for your three favorite stories here. In this thread, you will rate the stories for first, second, and third places. All entries will receive a number, so you just vote for that number.
If you're judging as well as competing, you cannot vote for yourself.
Without further ado, the stories:
Voting period ends Saturday, July 3, 2010, at 12:00 PM CDT, or when all judging is complete.
Judges:
1 Zenith
2 Shoyru1444
3 charidude
4 dmaster
5 sturtle
6 Spazzermon
7 Pokémaniac
If I forgot to post your story (which I'm pretty sure I didn't), you should PM me and not say so in this thread.
To non-judges: Feel free to post your opinions, but only those who signed up as judges will have their votes counted.
LET THE VOTING COMMENCE
If you're judging as well as competing, you cannot vote for yourself.
Without further ado, the stories:
Author 1 said:A vast, seemingly monochromatic beach stretched out to the smallest of horizons. Gray sand gave way to ash-colored waves, pushing and pulling underneath a silvery sky. The hoary sun illuminated the most apathetic of clouds, thin and unmoving.
“How…unbelievably-” the younger of the two gasped.
“How unbelievably drab!” Misty croaked as she slammed her heavy thumb down to mash a button on her TV remote. It had been repeating this action for time after time, leaving a sweaty handprint on the remote’s glossy black plastic. The golden daylight trickled into the room through dusty, drooping blinds, bringing with it an intense summer heat. The television gave a faint sputter and displayed new images and sounds.
“I’ve never felt as if my life would be so complete. You’re everything to me…” a hypnotized husband cooed. Violins with voluptuous vibrato broke the silence that the previous program once preserved.
“Yawn,” Misty wailed. Her thumb hammered down once more. Another sputter was emitted by the television set.
“This process tenderizes the Kelpsy before grilling, making it softer and easier to eat. Kids love it this way,” the young woman on the television informed, as she flashed her irresistible smile. “After we grill it, we’ll add it to the main dish.”
Mouthwatering images flushed the screen, bombarding Misty with the sour reminder that she hadn’t eaten a bite since her head lifted off of the pillow. Jadedly, she rose from her fluffy blue couch, opened her creaky door, and staggered towards the kitchen. The television didn’t notice her departure, and it continued its electric performance as if she were there.
She hummed a few empty notes as she made her way to the kitchen. Here, it was much brighter, but the radiant sky blue walls made it seem cooler as well. Her bare feet made soft tapping sounds with the tiled floor, and slight iridescent footprints were left on the ceramic. She had been swimming in the Cerulean City gym.
As if by magic, the doorbell rang just as the refrigerator was opened.
‘Who would come to visit today?’ Misty thought.’ Agh… it’s probably another gym challenger who got their hands on my address.’ Her face drooped at this thought, and she hastily moved towards the door with a dissatisfied disposition.
Her front door steadily opened like curtains before a play, and she stared blankly at the scene that lay before her.
“No way…”
Author 2 said:In front of the two lied a large, metal, round… thing. It was almost indescribable, though appeared to the two like a large bubble in the middle of a plain. The younger of the two began to run towards it, but the elder put his arm in front of the child to stop him.
“Wait,” he motioned sternly. The child turned to him, a misunderstanding expression on his face. Without a word, the child’s companion began running towards the bubble. The small creature cried out in fear, but it was useless. His father was gone.
In his head, the child decided there was only one correct action. He began running towards the large monstrosity, without a second to spare.
Author 3 said:The bright red sun was glinstering upon the plain lands they were now watching. Instead of the blooming villages where they once lived, there was now nothing. Only wild, roaming Pokémon fighting over the last berry to be found.
"How could this be?" the young brother asked.
The older brother remained silent as some Fearow passed over their heads. The younger one got down to his knees and cried. Their journey had been for nothing.
The wise elder brother ran down the hill, straight into the wide valley with the last of his power. Thoughts were running through his head as fast as he could run himself.
He thought about the future, what should they do now? He thought about the present, what was going on? He thought about the past, how it all had started. Although he knew the latter, it just couldn't escape his mind.
Three years earlier, it seemed a lot longer, he and his younger brother left the village in order to search for the legendary Pokémon, Moltres. It was said to be the protector of their village, but it was never to be seen. He and his brother were foolish enough to leave the village at such a young age, to go on a quest for Moltres, something the older ones never considered.
It had been a long, tiring journey. And they didn't succeeded. They didn't saw Moltres and couldn't confirmed its existence. But they had heard many stories about it. They weren't the only one who had legends about it. In many other legends it was the bringer of spring. The two brothers had been amazed to hear these wonderful stories about their own legendary icon.
Now they returned, ready to tell everyone about the amazing adventure they had, tell them about the happiest moments in their life. But instead their plans were ruined.
As soon as the elder one the plains, he too fell down to his knees. A few Tauros ran away, so he could now see the lands clearly. Not even a single house, a single brick was to be found. This was the right place wasn't it? He hadn't messed up and forgotten where there hometown was? No, he was sure. A few spots were to be recognised. The few Joshua-trees on the north side of the valley, the long iconic rock right in the middle and the small lake surounding it.
But how could this be? There were no signs of civilisation. Their family and friends couldn't have just left with their houses and everything with them?
He stood back up, turned his back to the plains and watched the top of the hill. His younger brother was still sitting there. Still crying. They both hadn't any clue what to do next.
Author 4 said:The old man smiled with a grin of gratitude and accomplishment. His beard was curly and unstraightened as it blew all over his wrinkled face in the oncoming breeze. Beneath them lay the rift valley. A large mountain ridge in which he had hiked up with his two young pupils Angie and Brian surrounded the crater that formed this place of wonder and amazement.
“The rift valley…” Brian exclaimed in utter amazement. His eyes were glued to the breath-taking scenery: watching as the clouds floated on equal ground as them. It was a reminder that this place was home to the flying pokemon. The pokemon Angie was quickly studying. She had slung her red backpack off her shoulders and onto the rocky gravel beneath her feet. She unzipped the backpack and took out a flask and a piece of paper. The flask held black dye. The dye from the roots of the altariar tree found by the dragon’s den. It held the purest dye for miles and Angie was quickly putting it to use stroking skillfully with her brush. She was painting an altaria. The old man looked up to see it flying with a pack of swablu as they swarmed the valley. To the side was a group of Pidgeot who were staring at him with their intense defensive expressions.
The old man looked to see how Brian was doing when his face turned into one equally as terrifying as the famous scream. Brian had out his Luxio and was holding a pokeball. Was he foolish enough to try to capture a pokemon here? This whole group is a pack and will peck him to death for kidnapping their own! He followed his eyesight to find a group of child dratinis along with some dragonairs. These were the most sacred part of the rift valley. They were unbelievably rare and select to this very location. The old man knew he had to stop Brian before he threw the pokeball at the dratini for the dragonairs would not take it lightly.
“Angie! Stop Brian!” the old man shouted to his more intelligent pupil. Angie was shocked by the loud noise piercing her eardrums and causes her hands to slip bringing a large black line across her beautifully illustrated picture. Angie dropped the paint and paper and sprinted across the rift valley crashing threw clouds as she rammed into Brian smacking the pokeball out of his hands flying into the air above him. The slid towards the edge and stopped with bruises and scratches.
“You idiot! What were you thinking!” Angie screeched at him.
“I-I,” Brian stammered back his face turning as red as a ripe tomato. The old man looked up at the pokeball.
“What a strange design…” the old man thought to himself as he looked at the white “M” on it and the strange purple covering. Then Brian realized what had been thrown in the air.
“My Masterball!” he screamed in absolute terror.
Author 5 said:... They had never seen this much cheese in their lives.
“What’s up with all this cheese?”, questioned the waiter
“I’m not sure”, replied Bob, “but this must mean we’re getting close”.
“Close to what?”, the waiter asked. His memory had been failing him quite a lot recently. Time was not kind, and the waiter was ageing quite rapidly, once the friendly young guy at the restaurant he became increasingly more like an old butler, taking care of the new owner more than actually waiting. But travelling with Bob made him feel young again, even though he wasn’t sure what the underworld he was travelling to again.
“Did you forget again?”, remarked Bob, “You’re the one holding the map!”
“Oh yeah”, a quick glance seem to solve his sudden amnesia, but exactly why they were going where they were going was still rather fuzzy.
Crossing the mountains of cheese seemed harder than expected, the cheese was a rather soft variant and the high temperature did little to aid its climbability. The occasional hole also proved to be more of a curse than a blessing, as the waiter would manage to fall down them quite frequently. But the beacon of light at the horizon grew increasingly brighter, and with it Bob’s passion. Such a young man, such sense of adventure, if only the waiter was this adventurous when he was young, maybe he would’ve been siting in his armchair right now thinking back at all the good times instead of risking his life.
Bob ran to the top of one of the hills.
“Can you see it?”, he yelled, but no reply came.
“Wait, where are you?”, “Waiter?”, “WAITER!!!”
Only the echo of his voice against the mountains of cheese replied.
“He must’ve fallen down a hole again”, thought Bob, and he ran back to look for him, accompanied by the fading echo of his desperate screams. Bob didn’t want to do this alone, the waiter was like a father to him, as well as quite possibly his only friend. Without him this entire trip would be futile.
The lizard people threw the unconscious body of the waiter in a cave. They had hardened the cheese so it would be impossible for anyone to eat their way out.
“There is one other”, hissed Jean-Baptiste
“Why did you not bring him as well?”, the lizard overlord hissed angrily. “They must not be allowed to unveil our secret, the very foundations of our society depends on this!”
“My apologises”, hissed Jean-Baptiste, “he was standing in bright daylight, our toxic touches would be useless”.
“We’ll wait until midnight”, hissed Jacques.
“You 2 better not fail me again” hissed the overlord as he went back to his cheese castle.
Night fell, but Bob could not sleep, first his father and now this? He would not be able to run the restaurant alone, even if he did complete his quest. So he did the only thing left for him to do.
Author 6 said:Dolan caught a glimpse of the fog filled valley below. He could see shapes swarming down the ridge where they stood, scales glistening from the pale moonlight. The rare Dragon Pokemon. He and the village elder had traveled far to reach this place.
"Is this it?" he asked.
"It is." he replied. "I haven't seen this place since I was a boy."
Dolon stared down, wondering why he was sent here. He saw all of the Dragon Pokemon gathered around one huge form. A massive green Salamence. Now he understood why he was here.
"Catch the shiny Salamence." The man had said. The man who had taken his father's life and now held Dolon's village hostage. "Catch it, and bring it to me. Then I will release your village."
"This is why I am here," Dolon thought. "I must catch Salamence and free my people. I must find justice for my father's death."
Author 7 said:The lush paradise below them far surpassed their expectations made from local myths; in contrast to the dusty dirt path they traveled on recently, a plain of grass and small trees surrounded the lake in front of them. A small waterfall gently flowed down from the large rock wall at the end of the miniature valley, a light mist created by droplets that went astray. The elder, smiling, put away the map in his hands and started to walk down the hill, leaving the younger continuing to stare, dumbfounded at such a vibrant place.
"You going to keep staring or help me fill the canteens, Alex?" The young boy named Alex snapped out of his wonder and looked down to see the elder crouching at the lake, twisting the caps off of the hand-made bottles.
"Uh, coming!" he cried, stumbling as he descended, not used to declines. He struggled to halt quickly and would’ve fallen into the water had his middle-aged partner not smacked a canteen to his chest.
"Fill this one," the man ordered as Alex fell back on his rear end. The young teenager grunted and dunked the leather-covered container into the water, watching bubbles of air fly up to the surface. The elder stood up and picked off a PokéBall from his belt, tossing it into the air.
"Come on, Lapras. It's time." The ray of red light flew out of the opened ball and formed into the sea beast, who blinked a few times, looking around. "Half of the journey is over."
"Half?" asked Alex, looking up as he capped the canteen. "Isn't this our destination?"
"You have much to learn about treasure hunting. When finding treasure, half of it is getting there, half of it is the actual finding. Let's go." Alex groaned, originally hoping to take a rest. His companion realized this. "The sooner, the better," was his reply.
There was no questioning with Taki; he was in the business of treasure-hunting for so long and strict on taking apprentices; the moment Alex objects, it's over. He got onto the Lapras with his mentor and was handed a granola bar.
"For your strength," he said. Alex weakly nodded and started to eat as the Lapras approached the waterfall. "Safeguard," Taki commanded. A small dome of transparent white surrounded the group, directing the waterfall away from them. Upon passing the waterfall, a dark tunnel was in sight. They got off as they landed, and Taki returned his Lapras after a compliment. Alex squinted, failing to spot anything beyond the darkness ahead.
"What now?" Taki shook his head at the youngster's lack of experience. He took out another Pokéball.
"Ninetales. Support Move Flash." The ball slightly opened to send out a piercing light in front, like a flashlight. Alex looked in wonder. Were Pokémon always this useful?
But he had to concentrate on the task, and followed Taki to find what they came for.
Author 8 said:On the horizon, Joel and his brother Kent watched the unsettling plume of a massive dust cloud as it rose from the lush valley in which the village of Marble Town was situated. Having finally returned from a construction job in the bustling city of Deltsed over five hundred miles to the southwest, the two men had been hoping for a well-deserved rest in their reclusive timberland home. But now all they could do was gaze on in pure terror.
“What’s going on?” Joel shouted after a few moments.
At twenty-three years old, the azure-eyed man stood at a staggering six and a half feet tall, a good ten inches over his sibling. His stature was equally powerful, defined by his broad shoulders and arms thick with muscle. He wore a plaid work shirt, dark blue jeans with slightly worn-out knees, and tan steel-toed boots that sunk slightly into the dirt as he crouched slightly so he could focus on the source of the debris.
Just less than four years younger, Kent wasn’t remotely as buff as Joel, though he did have evident muscle mass across the back of his neck and somewhat on his pectoral. The man had a similar taste in work clothes, though his shirt was gray rather than plaid. Unlike his brother, whom had thick brown locks with a matching beard and moustache, his face was shaven clean and had his hair cut somewhat short.
Dropping his duffle bag on the ground, Kent took out a pair of binoculars and took a closer look at the smoke and debris.
Seeing that it was just west of town, he commented, “Can’t tell for sure, but it looks like a logging project.”
He then handed the scope to Joel, who focused in a little more closely. After staring at it for several moments, the man noticed that something was off.
“No. Whatever it is, it’s not logging,” Joel replied, handing back the binoculars. Kent shrugged, knowing it wasn’t their concern.
“So what?” the kid groaned, putting the item away.
“I’m saying let’s go check it out!” The older brother then took out a Poké Ball.
“Oh, come on!”
For one reason or another, Joel loved poking his nose where it didn’t belong. Ever since the two of them were young, he’d always found some way to get them both into misadventures. If not for free room-and-board and that their widowed mother couldn’t live alone for health reasons, Kent would probably have left after graduating from high school, instead of going into the same occupation his brother had gotten into.
“Pidgeot, let’s go!” Joel demanded, throwing his orb forward.
Author 9 said:“No way…” The young man replied.
What he was looking at was beyond description. An entire valley of creatures… strange creatures that he had never seen before. The young man looked around and saw even more creatures, of all different shapes and colours. The more he saw, the more he was reminded of a
tale his grandfather had told him…
13 years earlier…
“No way! There’s no way something like that could exist.”
At the age of 5, young Samuel had been in love with stories. He read as many as possible, and enjoyed every one. His favourite were the stories told by his grandfather. Samuel’s grandfather always had interesting stories, and Samuel believed them all. But the story he was being told now was so amazing, he could hardly believe it.
“It’s true. There are creatures that live in a valley far, far away from here, called the Valley of Serenity. They live peacefully, and live off of the earth and its food. No human has ever come into contact with them, except for me.” The grandfather said as he grinned slowly. “I’ve never told anyone but you.”
Samuel’s grandfather was known to exaggerate stories. He told stories about underwater monsters, cities in the sky, and whatever else he could think of. He loved telling stories, almost as much as Samuel loved hearing them.
“But how do these creatures exist? How come know one has ever seen them?” Samuel asked with a puzzled look.
“Because…” The grandfather replied, “The Valley of Serenity only appears to the pure in heart, and those who believe in magic.”
Samuel loved hearing that story. It was his favourite. As Samuel aged, his Grandfather’s story remained in his head. As the years went by, Samuel grew stronger and smarter, but always remembered his Grandfather’s story. On Samuel’s eighteenth birthday, his Grandfather pulled him aside and said,
“I want to take you to a special place.”
“What kind of place?” Samuel replied.
“You’ll have to wait and see. But let me tell you this, it’s quite far away.”
So Samuel brought together a rather large suitcase, and a backpack filled to the brim. But his Grandfather looked at him bluntly, at told him to put it all away. All he said was,
“Bring enough food for a week, and bring your determination.”
So the two set out to a completely isolated, mountainous area. Samuel looked at his grandfather and said,
“Grandfather, this mountain is so tall! How will we ever climb it?”
“Have faith, young Samuel. This mountain can be tamed.”
Samuel saw no fear in his Grandfather’s eyes. Just determination. So the two set out on their journey, which took many days. The journey was long, and very strenuous. But eventually, they got to their final step…
Back in the present…
“Grandfather,” Samuel asked, “are these the creatures you’ve told me about?
“Yes, Samuel.” Replied the grandfather, “These… are Pokemon.”
Author 10 said:Chaos. There was no other way to describe it. Fire consumed the skies of Vermilion City. People screamed as the police officers directed the survivors this way and that to safety. The Gym appeared to be the source of the sudden flash fire; smoke poured out of all the windows and tainted the air in crimson and gray shades.
At the sight, immediately the younger fell to her knees. She felt the heat and ash pushing into her face, even as they stood at the edges of the city. She glanced over to her new friend, the one she knew hailed Vermilion as his hometown. The boy’s thick, dark brown hair was caught in the wind, pushing his long bangs back far enough for her to discern his facial expression. His green eyes were wide open and his lips slightly parted, as though he was attempting to speak. He simply stared at the destruction before him, his glove-covered fists balling in shock.
Oh, oh god…I hope he’s okay…but…what happened to Vermilion? Terry’s home is…how did this happen? The young girl nearly found her brown eyes filled with tears. Again she glanced to her temporary mentor. His eyes had fallen to the smoldering gym. His eyes slowly narrowed as he reached for one of the red orbs attached to his side.
“Terry…what’s going on? I…”
“Team Rocket,” he growled deeply beneath his breath, nothing but hatred evident in his words. “They knew I was coming back home…they knew!”
He suddenly plucked one of the capsules off his waist and thrust it as far forward as he could. His strong legs carried him forward as he allowed himself to be temporarily blinded. Within seconds the massive form of a tiger-coated dog was revealed against the red of the city. The creature barked uneasily; even with the fire element at its disposal, the inferno unnerved it.
“Beast, get down for me. We’re going in,” he fiercely ordered as he hesitated at his Pokémon’s side. The girl fought to run to his side.
“W-wait, what are you doing? Terry, you can’t go in there…!” she pleaded. “Lieutenant Surge probably has things under control if Team Rocket is about-”
“Surge is probably dead. My family’s in there, Laura! And I sure know you would not dare deny the fact that you would go in to try and make sure that they get out safely!” he bellowed, mounting the majestic Pokemon. Reluctantly Beast rose up to his full height, whimpering gently at the sight of Vermilion. His trainer pushed his head towards the disaster zone stubbornly. “You stay here. I’ll come back for you once I give those-”
His words were cut off by a deafening explosion. The sheer force of the explosion nearly dismounted Terry from his ride and it knocked Laura off clean off her feet. Both struggled to get to their feet, terrified of what they had witnessed.
Author 11 said:...the younger one said as they saw Hiun City for the first time. They hardly had time to savor the amazing sight when Officer Jenny appeared on her motorcycle.
"What are you two boys doing here? Did you just travel across the desert?"
They both nodded. Then the older one spoke. "Yes, we are very tired and hungry from our journey. Could you please give us a ride to the Pokemon Center?"
"Sure! Just hop on!"
The boys got onto the motorcycle and soon enough, they were sitting right outside of the Pokemon Center. As they sluggishly walked through the automatic doors, they received a surprising image. A man was holding everyone up, including Nurse Joy, with a pistol. As the duo walked in, the criminal looked up at them.
"Put your hands up," he said in a dark voice. "NOW!" The boys followed his orders immediately. Fortunately, by being distracted by the travelers, he did not notice another man sneaking up on him. The sneaky man grabbed his opponent's gun hand, disarmed him, and threw the gun several yards away.
The shady man, being surprised by this, attempted to punch the other man in the face. He blocked the flying fist, grabbed his arm, and flipped him over on to the ground. In the blink of an eye, he had his foot on the outlaw's chest and spoke to Nurse Joy in a quick voice. "Get Officer Jenny."
In minutes, Officer Jenny was there and was putting the criminal in handcuffs. She called over the brave man. "Thank you mister-"
"Rick. Call me Rick." And soon enough, everyone was congratulating him.
Voting period ends Saturday, July 3, 2010, at 12:00 PM CDT, or when all judging is complete.
Judges:
1 Zenith
2 Shoyru1444
3 charidude
4 dmaster
5 sturtle
6 Spazzermon
7 Pokémaniac
If I forgot to post your story (which I'm pretty sure I didn't), you should PM me and not say so in this thread.
To non-judges: Feel free to post your opinions, but only those who signed up as judges will have their votes counted.
LET THE VOTING COMMENCE
SECRET AUTHOR said:
