Author's Note: Hello and welcome to my new fiction venture! This is a multi-layered story about Sinnoh; part journeyfic, part gym leader politics, part good old adventure involving some men and gods, and a bit of romance here and there. There's a lot going on, and while it's going to be a long haul, I hope everyone finds something to enjoy.
This is part of a "series" called, for simplicity's sake, Auraverse. Short for "Aura Universe" because this fic's title was originally going to refer to aura. It's a series not only for planned sequels, but also for little side-stories that might pop up now and again (we all know what this means). This installment is broken into arcs, with chapters 1-3 being the prologue. I warned you about the long haul.
Disclamier: While I write in a few bits of game canon, this is not a DPPt playthrough/nuzlocke-type story. Some characterizations and story bits are the results of roleplay shenanigans from eons ago that remain near and dear to my heart. What you won't find: 1) game protagonists. I make my own characters whenever I play through a region, and my Sinnoh girl and Ranger guy are the stars. They are not Dawn and Lunick. Don't ask for Dawn or her friends, there are thousands of stories about them already; 2) anime cast/canons. Just no; 3) Team Galactic. I have my own less transparent "villainous" forces, so again, if you're looking for TG, plenty of other fics out there. If any of this bothers you, please consider this setting an alternate universe. Technically, it takes place in the same continuity as, and a few years after the end of my other story, Eternal Winter — which is an AU.
I realize this is a dense work, even I have ridiculously huge files full of notes to refresh my memory (thank u cross-device cloud-based storage systems). You can find character profiles and notes about the setting, League rules, and other such things at my Dreamwidth blog (which I cannot even write out in text, holy shit FFN). It's in my profile, along with other places I'm at.
At long last, after years of laying low and planning, they've made it to the Sinjoh Ruins. Khaled had always meant to explore it, but it was Riley who deduced what lay hidden inside. They set up camp in an abandoned cabin near the ruins' entrance; the site is hidden deep in the mountains of the remote, rural Holon region. Most have dismissed it as a barren relic of the days when Johto integrated itself with native Sinnoh — a shrine to nothing more than colonization. Khaled knows from research that the temple is more than that, it's connected to the Original One. He means to see it for himself, even though the last time he was in Holon, he was partially responsible for irreparable damage to one of its villages.
The ruins' interior fills with eerie light that shines from the jewels of Khaled's carbink. Riley lets out a soft gasp, unable to contain himself. The flash makes this temple all the more otherworldly, beautiful and strange. Wordlessly, Khaled grins at him, his pokemon's white glow casting sharp shadows along his handsome face.
They move quietly through the temple, the only sound being gritty crunches under their feet. Riley fiddles with his gold pendant, one of many artifacts they've discovered together. Gazing at the carved, eroded walls, he feels odd. The two of them are definitely intruding on untouched, holy ground, but more than that, he feels as though they're being watched. As woefully out of practice as he is, he can sense no other living aura nearby. He attributes it to the atmosphere of the place and nothing more.
"Look at this," Khaled whispers, pausing to point at a wall. "These carvings are similar to the Ruins of Alph."
"Of course," Riley whispers back. "The two places are related. Any archaeologist worth his shoal salt knows that."
Khaled gives him a look, narrowing his eyes and then chuckling. "Well, it's just incredible to see with your own eyes. We're the first humans here in ages." He snaps a photo of the wall with his slim digital camera. Its brief flash is far brighter than his carbink's.
"You shouldn't do that," Riley cautions in a hushed tone. "I don't think we're exactly alone."
"You saying it's haunted?" Khaled's lopsided grin spreads. "That would explain why we haven't run into any wild pokemon taking shelter, huh?"
"No, not like that. I feel like this temple has a sacred air that the area pokemon are respecting. But I also feel like we're being watched."
"Mm." Khaled turns, lightly pushing his carbink forward to illuminate a passageway. "Well, whoever's watching us will see we're just having a look around. We've come out of plenty of other sacred temples in one piece. Come on."
Riley follows him, knowing full well they are here for more than a simple look. None of the hallowed places they've explored in the past have affected him like this one. Maybe it's just nerves. He, too, was in Holon during Khaled's previous incident — it was how they met. If his friend is apprehensive about being back here, it doesn't show. Riley admires him for it. He's younger by a decade and then some, but he's always been the more cautious of the pair.
Lost in his own thoughts, he fails to take notice of the small chamber they've entered. He barely pays attention to the other man poking around, uncovering a dust-covered chest, and peering inside. Khaled's excited laugh brings him back to the moment. "Riley! C'mere!"
He's lifting some bizarre object from the old chest beside which he kneels. Carbink's light makes the thing seem all the more otherworldly: a large, organic lump that fills both of Khaled's big hands, holes of varying sizes all over its intensely blue body. "Looks like you were right," he adds.
"The Azure Flute," Riley murmurs incredulously. "I can't believe no one realized it's here."
"I can't believe it was meant for us." Khaled's fingers close around its sides protectively. "Well, I take that back. I can believe it was waiting for us. You ready for a big comeback?"
"It's your comeback, Khaled. I'm not anyone important."
"Riiight," Khaled drawls slyly. He gazes down at the flute. "Heh, maybe after this, I can finally track down my—" He stops short, and his rugged face is puzzled as he looks from side to side.
"What is it?"
"I heard… a voice? It really is haunted in here, wooo…"
Riley's apprehension grows, though he knows his friend is teasing him. "Well, we got what we came for, so we should go." Taking the ancient flute, he tucks it inside Khaled's giant backpack, nestling it in between layers of clothes. Then he zips it up securely and pats it. "Come on. Lead the way, Carbink."
They follow the floating fairy rock's light, but barely make it to the corridor between chambers when Khaled falters, holding his head and leaning against the wall. This time he seems genuinely disturbed, even pained. "What's wrong?" Riley seizes his arm, hoping to steady him. "Khaled?"
Then he hears it too — or rather, feels it inside his head. It's a buzz, a hum, several pitches at once. Their discordant sounds make his head throb. Unown, Riley realizes. Naturally, this temple, with carvings identical to those in the Ruins of Alph, is similarly inhabited by unown. Are they upset by the removal of the ancient treasure? All of Riley and Khaled's research has shown that unown have no connection to the Azure Flute — however, their lord and master does.
Riley steadies himself on the stone wall with one arm, blindly reaching for Khaled with the other, to no avail. Carbink hovers above, its flash flickering due to nervousness. The unown's humming bombards him, filling his head with so much he feels it might burst. What little command he has over aura and all things telepathic, he tries to summon — again, to no avail.
Finally the unown's clamor gives way to words, half-formed messages that fade in and out like a chaotic chorus. «Land threatened… the old land in danger… greed of men…»
«What?» Riley asks mentally, praying he can communicate.
«The black island, burning mountain… you are the one who can end it…»
Their cacophonous messages pulse sharply inside him. This seems to have nothing to do with the Azure Flute after all. Riley can understand that the guardian unown have appeared to drive invasive humans out of their home, but why the cryptic prophecy? Why not simply teleport them out into the snow?
Then the ground begins to shake. Against his shoulder, Riley feels the walls rumble. Futilely, he covers his head with one arm while taking a weak step forward. What good would it do to be crushed under the lost Sinjoh Ruins if the unown are requesting his help? He hears again that he is "the one," accompanied by his name — his full name, the one he hasn't gone by in years.
«Enough!» he cries back mentally. His aura manipulation swells within him, blowing back the tiny telepathic presences. With a clear head at last, he sees Khaled on his knees, clutching the sides of his head. Is it worse for him? Riley grabs his arm, hauling him to his feet and dragging him behind.
Outside, the late-winter air with its persistent cold chill their bodies, shocking them back to reality. Riley catches his breath, staring back at the temple. It looks to be in one piece; he reasons that the quake was an illusion to get them moving. What would have happened if he hadn't managed to use his aura to drive off those unown?
The expressionless carbink seems relieved, hovering close to Riley, who pats its rocky body. Its trainer is bent over, hands on his knees, panting steadily.
Riley gives him a moment. "Khaled?" he asks, full of worry.
The older man snaps up. Ashen-faced, his eyes are bulged, unnerved. "He knows!"
"Who?" Tentatively, Riley seizes his friend's shoulders. "Who knows?"
"Judgment will cleanse Sinnoh of the greed of men," Khaled rasps. "That's what he said. The temples I've raided, the cons I've pulled, the women I've wronged… he knows everything! Arceus, the Original One!"
Riley frowns, releasing his grip. "Greed of men… I received part of that message myself. I had something like a dozen unown talking at once in my head."
"This was no unown. It was the One…" He trails off, aimlessly staring into space. "More than one!"
"You heard multiple voices after all?"
"No!" Khaled grasps Riley's arms, shaking him. "He said I had more than one! He said I have to… do right by them…" He drifts again, a far cry from his fearless self.
"Listen to me," Riley says firmly, concerned about this uncharacteristic mad rambling. "Khaled, listen. The unown are said to be messengers of Arceus, and they spoke to me. Something about a burning mountain in danger, probably by some corporation looking to use it for their own gain. Arceus is likely calling for your help as well."
"He's seeking retribution. He said as much!"
"Arceus won't punish you for being… you. Else it would come for me as well. The cons we pulled, right?"
That makes him smile, and for a second, the old Khaled is back. But his smile fades as quickly as it appeared. "How many…" he whispers, staring past Riley into the snow. "How many could I possibly have left behind?"
"Let's get away from here. We need to get to that cabin and rest. You'll feel better after some sleep." He pats his friend's shoulders above the backpack where their fortune now rests. "Arceus won't judge your past, Khaled. You found its lost ritual flute, it will thank you."
"Arceus is going to send me to hell regardless," Khaled replies hollowly.
Grimacing, Riley pulls him along. "I won't let that happen."
Riley sleeps fitfully in the nearby abandoned cabin. He's sure Khaled does too. But lying still with closed eyes is better than remaining awake and active, so Riley accepts whatever rest he can get. In between dozing off, his mind races with theories about what the messages to both him and Khaled mean.
He's also filled with thoughts of his closest friend. As much as he wants to help, he has a feeling Khaled's latest problem is one he'll have to deal with alone. The two of them have gotten in and out of trouble over the past couple of years, and are as thick as thieves. And for every misadventure, there were just as many good times. Riley recalls the latest one, the week they spent living it up in Saffron City. They landed a big score and figured out the location of the Azure Flute, and rang in the new year partying like Unovan celebrities. Some things happened at the end that they've resolved to never again speak of, but Riley still feels guilty and awkward whenever he remembers, privately.
When morning comes, he gets up and brews coffee. Once the drink wakes Khaled up, he appears more clear-headed, though still tired. "I think," he says slowly, "I'll go home first. I want to talk to Olympia."
"Home?" Riley repeats. "You haven't called Anistar your home in ages."
"She and some other family members are there. I need to see them before… well, before the worst happens."
"Khaled…" Riley wants to plead with him to come to his senses.
"She can tell me. She sees the future. And she can probably tell me about my— you know." He can't bring himself to say it out loud.
Riley knows. He also knows he shouldn't tag along on such a personal mission, no matter how much he wants to visit Kalos, like Khaled promised. "I guess I'll…" he starts to say. "What should I do?"
Khaled knocks back the last of his coffee. "You go on to Sinnoh. Been talking about it long enough."
"Yes, I suppose it's time. Shall I take the Azure Flute to the Shin'ai Museum? I won't take credit, I'll tell them it's a donation from Haruba Jones."
Khaled smirks. "Nah, I should deliver it in person. Just lemme do this first."
"I want to do something to help, though."
"You've done plenty for me already, you rich bastard."
The mountainous path that hides the Sinjoh Ruins and neighboring cabin is too narrow for large flying pokemon to take to the skies. The two explorers hike in silence, both buried under the weight of their own thoughts. Once they're out in the open, they release their mounts.
"This is so sudden," Riley remarks. "After everything we've been through."
"So sentimental." Khaled grins. "I'll be back in Sinnoh in no time. Tell you what: we'll meet in Canalave in a month."
Riley blinks, startled. "Not the Shin'ai Museum?"
"Nope, Canalave. You go there and look up that man of yours." His grin widens as Riley's face flushes. "And before you say it, you're ready. You're beyond ready." He claps the younger man's slender shoulder.
Riley squeezes his arm in return. "Good luck, Khaled. I hope she has a favorable fortune for you."
Khaled nods, sucks in his breath, and starts to turn towards his waiting flygon. The wind picks up, and they both hold their hats in place. "There is one thing you can do for me, Riley."
"What's that?"
"Find them. I know your aura sense can do that much. Find them!"
Riley nods slowly. "I shall."
They clasp hands and Khaled thumps his back. And then he's on his giant flygon, who gracefully lifts off the ground. Riley watches until they disappear beyond the mountaintops. A snort from his less patient salamence tells him it's time he left on his own.
Author's Note Part 2: "Haruba" is the the name of a village and corresponding desert in Almia featured in the second Pokemon Ranger game. Khaled took on "Haruba" as his nickname, as his first big claim to fame came from some major finds there many years ago. He has a fondness for desert settings, especially this one, because Haruba Village was settled by his cultural ancestors and named after their favorite confection.
Said confection is halva, a dessert with different varieties across many countries. Therefore "Haruba" should be pronounced as if you are saying "halva" in Japanese.
I had the opportunity to buy some, and was excited to eat it... only to find the texture was kind of like a Mr. Clean Magic Sponge. It was not at all as expected. Probably what I get for buying a tiny packaged Mediterranean-style halva at a chain store in the midwest US.