Ahhh, well. Here we are again. I was sitting in Math Class again, bored to tears and with nothing to do, when all of a sudden, *BOOM*! It hit me! Don't you just love random inspiration? Anyways, here goes!
That night, it poured.
Noah felt paralyzed. He couldn't move anything. He searched back in his memories. He knew his name, but…what happened? He had vague recollections of shadows and…now, there was nothing. But he was far too tired to feel distressed. He had some recent recall…he had been swimming, out on the ocean, then…nothing. He couldn't remember anything besides that and his name. He tried in vain to open his eyes. He couldn't even do such a small task.
Noah lay, hopeless, in what felt like mud, water streaming all around him. He felt himself dancing delicately on the edge of consciousness, the whole world in complete darkness all around him. The rain continued to pound down, relentless. Noah could barely keep himself attached to reality. His thoughts became cloudy. He could feel his whole body shutting down in the bitter cold of the storm. Then, in the distance, he imagined he heard a voice.
"Hey! You there! Are you alright?"
Noah tried to respond, but he couldn't. He decided he had just imagined the voice. Who would be out in a hurricane like this anyways? Just as he had given up completely, he heard another voice, different than the first.
"Come on, Micaela, we can't leave that poor Pokemon in the storm!"
Once again, Noah was jerked back into consciousness, just for a moment. He had a short, clouded thought. What did it say?
The last thing he heard was the first voice again, "Come on, Zaiga, here he is! Let's take him back…" There was more, but Noah couldn't hear it. He blacked out again as he felt a pair of strong, scaly arms lift him off the ground.
That night, it poured.
When Noah woke up, he found himself in a huge domed room made of crumbling stone. He could smell dust and age all around, along with…was that a Pokemon? His instincts told him it was a Ground-type, but he didn't know why. It just smelled like dirt, but somehow, he knew. He tried to move himself, but his muscles screamed at him. No, he wouldn't be moving anytime soon. He was barely able to turn his head and look around the room.
He saw that the rest of the room was just like his first impression: dust, age, and the dirt-scent of a Ground-type Pokemon. If he turned his head all the way to its limit, he could just see the claws of a Pokemon, presumably the ground-type he had first scented. Then a voice, the second voice he had heard in his dark recollections of what he assumed was the previous night, spoke.
"Hey Ankhet, he's waking up. Get over here!"
A Cofagrigus floated into Noah's sight. Noah would've been frightened by the Ghost Pokemon, but he was just too exhausted to feel any emotion other than confusion.
"So it would seem, Zaiga. How are you, little Pokemon? Are you feeling any better?"
Noah tried to speak, but he just made a kind of strangled gurgling sound. He tried to move again, but just as before, his body locked up in a spasm of pain. When it subsided, the Cofagrigus spoke again.
"Please, don't push yourself too hard. You've been hurt quite badly. We wouldn't want you to suffer further injury. Please, Mayir, would you find Lord Ragus for me? He'd like to come and see our new guest."
"Of course, Ankhet." Noah watched as a Krokorok walked off down a great hall which seemed to span endlessly into the distance. Then the Cofagrigus, Ankhet, looked back at Noah, and peered at him curiously.
"So, what happened to you, little Pokemon? What mysteries do you have for us to unravel…?" He muttered. Again, Noah attempted to speak, but once again, he simply managed a weak gurgle.
What had happened? Why could Noah barely move or speak? And how did he end up on the shore with all these strange Pokemon gathered around him? Then another thought struck him: Pokemon? Just as these enigmatic wisps were tumbling about his mind, a rumbling voice with a hint of amusement echoed from the great hall.
"So tell me, Ankhet, where is this mysterious Pokemon that even you seem identify? Show me the creature of amazement that has everyone so stirred up."
As the last rumbling words faded down the corridor, a colossal Krookodile with an amused glimmer in its eyes stooped into the domed room in whichNoah lay. Ankhet was floating between Noah and the Krookodile, so the enormous creature couldn't see the prone form of Noah collapsed on the dusty floor.
"Well? I must see this curious creature, Ankhet. Show me to him."
"Ahh, yes…here is, sir. But I tell you, I just can't figure out what he is…"
"Can't you now? Little matter. By the way, didn't I tell you not to call me sir? You're a good friend. Ragus is just fine."
"Of course, s-, I mean, Ragus."
As he said this, Ankhet floated aside. Noah watched Lord Ragus warily. He was a fearsome creature indeed, with crimson scales and bands of black. His claws were razor-sharp, and his fangs looked like rows of pearly stalactites hanging from the roof of his mouth. However, his toothy grin was friendly…so far. And his eyes shone with a sort of amity that seemed out of place on such a mighty creature's features.
But this glowing countenance was not to last. Noah watched with dismay as the Krookodile got a good look at him. His face slowly dropped from amusement, to a curious puzzlement, to a vexed confusion, to a dismayed horror. Ragus set his jaw, then whipped around to address Ankhet and the two Krokoroks, who had stood in silence the entire time.
He spoke one terse word: "Come."
The three of them followed Ragus down the hall away. Noah lay for a moment, puzzled over this new development. He had little time to consider, however. As he lay on the bare ground, a sudden wave of nausea washed over him. He felt like vomiting...then passed out.
Ankhet was worried. He had seen the look on Ragus' face before he had stormed out; whatever this new Pokémon was, it was obviously worrying the Krookodile. As the four of them marched up to Ragus' chambers, they drew the attention of many passing Pokémon. It was unusual, to say the least, when Lord Ragus was truly upset. He had a naturally mischievous disposition, which, of course, had receded a bit upon his becoming the Lord. But still, Ragus had never been the type to worry overmuch. All this action was stirring everyone's blood up. Things certainly weren't as they seemed any more…
As soon as the quartet were out of earshot of any nosy passerby, Ragus whirled around to address his advisors. Lost in his own misgivings, Ankhet nearly crashed into Ragus when they had reached the Lord's chambers. However, the Krookodile didn't seem to even notice. He immediately shot a question at Ankhet.
"Have you ever heard of a Treecko?"
Ankhet was confused. A what? When he answered in the negative, Ragus launched another question.
"What about a Torchic?"
Again, Ankhet was forced to say that he hadn't.
"And why should you have? They don't live around here. Not even in the farthest reaches of the Unova region will one find either a Treecko or a Torchic. So then, answer me this, trusted confidant and friend of mine: Why are two creatures that have never been seen anywhere near the Castle before SLEEPING UNDER MY ROOF?"
Ragus slammed his fist down hard against the stone slab seated before his throne. A dull *crack* echoed around the room, and the slab split in two as easily as if it were a blade of grass. At this point, the younger of the two Krokoroks spoke up.
"Pardon my asking, but…if you are so distressed about the appearance of these two, then why don't we just turn them out?"
At first, Ragus seemed to turn this idea over in his mind. But that only lasted a moment. He replied, much calmer now, "Because, my dear Zaiga, that is not how you treat guests. However much of an issue they may pose for us, we can't simply let them die in the desert. It is the policy of the Castle to give shelter to any in need of it, unless they are a direct threat to the current inhabitants…and at the moment, our little friends are not." Ragus sighed, then continued on with his narrative.
"I believe these Pokémon are here for a reason. As I have said, it's not every day we have such odd little friends at the Castle. As a matter of fact, the last time…no, no, that was much too long ago. You see, Treecko, and Torchic, for that matter, are Pokémon not native to the Unova region."
Here, Zaiga once again interjected.
"What other region is there? You always talk about the Unova region, but no one has ever said anything about any regions outside." Ankhet agreed.
"I've searched the records up and down, s-, uh, erm, Ragus, and I've only seen the occasional mention of other regions. There simply isn't any fact to support-"
Ragus interrupted Ankhet with a dangerous smile. "No, there isn't any written evidence. But who says you need it? Obviously, I've never told the three of you my story, before I became the Lord of the Relic Castle. Sit around here, get comfortable, for it's quite a tale. I think, though, that now is the time to tell it."
The four of them sat down around the split slab of rock, and Ragus began to tell his extraordinary story.
"You see, when I was quite young, barely a young Krokorok, I met a young Fraxure while traveling up towards Victory Road…"
The quartet settled in, for it was a long story, indeed. But there was time. Noah, who was still racked with pain from his seizing muscles, could do nothing but let the kind Audino tend to his injuries. And the other inhabitants had many jobs to do, so were busy didn't need the immediate assistance of their Lord. No, there was plenty of time to sit by the slab and tell the tale of how a young Ragus had met up with a band of other young adventurers, discovering an exotic land far beyond the reaches their simple homes….
…And that's all for this chapter. Have to keep you on edge, don't I? Please, R&R, and I'll get the next chapter to you as soon as I can!