Episode 2: The Alpha Pokemon

"Wait, wh-what?" Charlotte asked, still shivering. Niko turned to her, pulled her into him, and nodded. She felt warmer, and calmer, but still confused. "We're going up there?"

"I've been there before, it'll be fine," Niko said with confidence. He then threw out a pokéball containing Drampa, and another with Braviary. "Guys, we're going up there," he said, pointing to the swirling dark mass originating from the peak of Mt. Coronet. Both winged Pokémon nodded, albeit confused at first.

"Wait, wait!" Candice said, shaking her arms. "Why're you doing that? It could be dangerous!"

Niko tilted his head and smiled. "Because I've done it before, of course."

Candice looked at him for a moment, clearly trying to piece everything together. She then looked at Niko with wide eyes and mouthed a silent "oh" before smiling. "Riiight! I remember you! You went there last time with Cynthia! But you were with other people, though…"

"Yeah, we're all over the place. Name's Niko, this is my girlfriend Charlotte, and Jake is my brother," Niko explained.

"Guess battling runs in the family," Candice said, winking to Jake. "Anyway, I need to get in touch with Cynthia. I'm sure she's busy as hell right now, but she should know that she has help on the way."

Niko watched Candice run off into her gym just as the lights went back on, presumably due to a backup generator or something of that sort. He turned back to Jake and Charlotte and smiled. "You two ready for an adventure?"

Jake nodded, almost eagerly. Charlotte, who was still cuddled up to Niko, nodded slowly and less certainly. However, after climbing aboard Drampa with her boyfriend, she started to feel more comfortable. It had been a while since she and Niko had attempted to save the world—which this now seemed to be a case of. The last time, to her knowledge, was when they stopped Ghetsis and Team Plasma in the Unova region. That was nearly two years ago, but it felt like forever. Her life had changed so much since, just as Niko's had. He was the runner-up to a regional champion, and she was the runner-up to a Pokémon League. Back then, she was just considering becoming a trainer, and Niko was just re-considering his choice to become one. Life was so much different for them, and in the best ways possible.

Niko guided Drampa and Braviary—with Jake on his back—over Snowpoint City and towards Celestic Town. They flew low and at a slow pace so as to not let the cold wind bother their eyes too much, since they lacked a pair of goggles for eye protection. Despite their slow speed, the two Pokémon made their way to Celestic Town in under half an hour, landing only for a brief break.

Looking up at the mountain range in front of him, Niko squinted his eyes as if trying to see something more clearly. He remembered looking in that same direction to see something, anything, that might be wrong. But nothing this time besides a faint shimmer.

"So, we're climbing that?" Jake asked.

"Yup. We're going to the top."

"How long will that take?" Charlotte asked.

Niko tried to remember. "A couple hours, at least. But if we fly…"

"We're gonna need goggles, right?" Jake wondered. He reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of them. "For some reason, I still have these from our Hoenn days. They barely fit me," he turned to Charlotte, "but they'll fit you for sure."

The petite brunette looked up at her boyfriend's brother and silently nodded, thanking Jake for the gift. She then wrapped them around her head and placed the lenses over her eyes, giving her the look of a pilot. For whatever reason, it amused Niko to see this.

"Now we need something," Jake said upon closing his bag back up and looking at Niko, "we have nothing for the cold.

"I'll be fine. I've got a plan," Niko said, turning to Drampa. "You take Jake and Charlotte. I'll ride on Braviary, and we'll go first into the clouds."

"Wait…what? That doesn't make any sense!" Charlotte said, frantically taking her goggles off and handing them to Niko. "You need these then!"

Niko stared at the goggles and shook his head. "I'll be okay, we've done crazier things. Take them."

"You're so stupid sometimes," Charlotte muttered as she placed the goggles back on and boarded Drampa with Jake behind her. Niko got on Braviary's back, and the two Pokemon took flight once more into the sky, towards the top of Mt. Coronet.


Yeah, Charlotte's right…Niko thought to himself as he gripped Braviary's feathered neck. I'm so stupid. The cold air had quickly gotten to him, and he soon found himself holding onto the Valiant Pokemon for dear life as they ascended Mt. Coronet from the air, rather than from the inside like he had done last time. By the time they were midway to the peak, Braviary noticed his trainer's fatigue and took a break on a small cliffside. Niko got off, panted, and held his arms above his head as he stared into the misty expanse below. He hadn't been so high in the air since Mount Lanakila, but he had more easily adjusted to the elevation then. Somehow, Mount Coronet was different.

Braviary looked at his trainer curiously. He had rarely seen Niko give in to exhaustion like that, so he quickly realized something was wrong, but couldn't figure out what exactly. So, he sat there as they waited for Niko to re-collect himself, just in time for Drampa to appear from the mist below.

"What happened?" Charlotte shouted to her boyfriend as Drampa floated in the air level with the cliffside Niko and Braviary were on.

"Took a quick break," Niko said with a smile, "let's keep going!" he leapt onto the Valiant Pokemon and took off once more, much to Charlotte's surprise. She too noticed something different, like he was compensating for something with this eagerness to get to the top. That's crazy, though…she thought, Niko shouldn't have anything to prove, right?

The second half of the ascension to the peak of Mount Coronet didn't take nearly as long as the first half. Niko, Braviary, Jake, Charlotte, and Drampa made it to the top with relative ease, landing near the familiar platform Niko had recognized from his last adventure. As Braviary was descending, he saw the speared pillars that characterized the peak, the stone platform, and the stairway up to the platform.

Something was different, though.

"What's that…?" Niko asked, jumping off of Braviary and staring at another set of stairs going up into the center of the dark cloud. The stairs were glowing in a variety of colors that resembled a rainbow.

"No idea," a familiar voice sounded from behind Niko. Turning, he noticed a tall woman dressed in a black pantsuit. Her blonde hair fell down to her knees. She stared directly at Niko with her piercing dark eyes.

"Oh, Cynthia…" Niko said with a lack of surprise in his voice. Whenever something was wrong with Sinnoh, Cynthia was there, no matter what. It's something he admired about her, above all other Champions. It also made him wonder if, had he defeated Hau, how he could live up to that sort of responsibility.

"It's been a while, Niko," she said, walking up to the brown-haired trainer that was roughly her height, and shook his hand. "How are you?"

"Cold, and tired, but fine," Niko said, verbally admitting that the trek up to Spear Pillar had taken more out of him than he had expected. "What's going on here?"

"I have an idea…but it's not fully formed," Cynthia said, eying the stairway again. "Leader Candice alerted me that you'd be showing up," she turned to see Jake and Charlotte. "I recognize you," she said to the brunette, "but not you…"

"I'm Jake, Niko's brother."

"Ah. Pleasure to meet you, Jake. I'm Cynthia, Champion of the Sinnoh region."

"Jake's challenging the league," Niko added as Jake and Cynthia shook hands.

Cynthia nodded, seeming to disregard Niko's comment. "This is the stairway that supposedly leads to the Hall of Origin."

"Hall of…Origin…?" Charlotte asked, shivering as usual.

"Yes, the Hall of Origin," Cynthia repeated. "It's the home to Arceus, the god of all Pokemon."

"There's a Pokemon god?" Jake asked.

Cynthia turned to him and nodded, her eyes piercing his once again. "Yes. Arceus is known as the Alpha Pokemon, or 'The Original One.' It is a normal type Pokemon and is said to have emerged from an egg in a place where there was nothing. It shaped the universe, and therefore our world with it."

"So…it's created everything?" Niko asked. He remembered reading something about Arceus in his Sinnoh mythology book years back, but the information on this particular Pokémon was scarce. He noticed Cynthia nod once more.

"Arceus is responsible for creating the 'Creation Trio' consisting of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, as well as the 'Lake Trio' consisting of Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie," Cynthia explained. "It is responsible for life as we know it."

"So, why are we seeing this stairway?" Jake asked as he approached it.

Cynthia looked from him and back towards the stairway with a puzzled expression. "Arceus does not show itself willingly. In fact, there haven't been any recorded sightings of this Pokémon. It's all based on different theories. So, there is no precedent for the stairway to appear. If I'm being honest, I truly have no idea why this is happening."

"It's related to the dark clouds, though," Niko said.

"Right. Something must be wrong with Arceus for it to get involved. But why are these clouds appearing, and why are they so dark?"

Niko sat down on a stairstep nearby, trying to think of a reason—any reason—as to why this was happening. His first thoughts went immediately to some sort of villainous team like Galactic. This idea, once verbalized, was shot down by Cynthia. According to her, there was no such thing as a Team Galactic anymore.

"How would one, hypothetically, gain access to the stairway?" Niko eventually asked. It was a roundabout way to a potential answer, but it was something.

"With an object called the Azure Flute," Cynthia explained. "It plays a melody that humans and normal Pokemon cannot hear. Only Arceus can, supposedly at least."

"How would one get ahold of this?" Niko asked.

"That's not a question I can answer," Cynthia said. "However, I know someone who can. Come with me: we're going back to Celestic Town."

Surprised, Niko and his friends boarded their Pokemon and left Spear Pillar swiftly. During their trip down, Cynthia explained her reasoning for leaving the stairway behind.

"We cannot gain access to it as we don't have the Azure Flute. Only the one who played the flute can. Therefore, we cannot do much at Spear Pillar anymore."

"Why not wait until the owner comes back?" Jake wondered.

"If the legends surrounding Arceus are true—then they won't return," Cynthia said solemnly. "At least, in theory they won't."

No one spoke for the rest of the trip.


"Grandmother, I'm here," Cynthia said as she opened a wooden door to a log cabin. They had landed on the outskirts of Celestic Town, up in the hills near Route 210. While Braviary had no issue returning to his pokéball, Drampa seemed intrigued by the house they were about to enter. Niko noticed this, and allowed the Placid Pokemon to sit outside, as he couldn't fit in the small home.

Once they entered a small, frail woman entered and immediately lit up upon seeing Cynthia. Hurriedly, she wobbled over to the Champion and hugged her. "Cynthia…it's been too long. How are you?"

"I'm doing well. Grandmother, this is Niko, Jake, and Charlotte. They're with me," she said, and proceeded to explain everything that was happening on Mount Coronet. Her grandmother—who was known as Catherine—listened intently while they sat on small couches in a relatively large living room. An open window allowed Drampa to poke his head through and observe alongside his trainer.

Catherine sat there for some time before responding.

"Grandmother, do you know anything about Arceus that we don't?" Cynthia asked politely.

"It seems…that the Creator is upset by something. That much is clear. The reasons as to why, I wouldn't know. However, legend has it that when Arceus appears, rays of light descend from the skies. Dark clouds do not appear above Spear Pillar and lead to the Hall of Origin. That, obviously, is unnatural."

"So…?" Niko asked curiously.

"So, either Arceus is angered, or someone is tampering with it…somehow."

"How can you 'tamper' with a god?"

"No idea. There is no way that I know of to capture Arceus. The only objects related to the Creator are the Azure Flute and the Plates."

"Plates?"

"Yes. The Azure Flute grants access to the Hall of Origin but does not allow one to control Arceus. There are also these Plates that allow Arceus to alter its form—give it a different type and change its appearance to match that of the Plate."

"So, it can become, say, a grass type?" Niko asked.

Catherine turned to him and nodded. "Indeed. But still, that does not grant one control. It is possible that Arceus is under the control of someone else, or something else. It's unlikely, but possible. I just do not know how it is possible."

Niko was taken aback by how calm Catherine was. She seemed to be handling the potential end-of-the-world unusually well.

"Well," Jake began, "how do we deal with this? It's clear something is wrong with Arceus, but what can we do about it?"

Catherine looked at the ground. She then turned to her granddaughter. "You have been troubled for some time, Cynthia. And I don't mean just today."

Cynthia sighed and nodded. "There have been…reports of mysterious activity in Sinnoh and beyond. For the past year or so, I have been in contact with regional champions and have heard of similar activity, albeit much less. It was only until a week ago that it was nothing more than reports and rumors," she looked at Niko and Charlotte. "Hau was in on this and has been worried of a possible attack on Alola. Your league was almost cancelled because of this. Luckily, no such attack occurred."

Niko raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" He wasn't surprised of the secretive nature of this, but surprised that this was an ongoing issue. "What else do you know?"

Cynthia looked at him solemnly and continued. "I am—or was, rather—aware of the true location of the Azure Flute. It's, in fact, a family secret," she turned to her grandmother. "However, I grew concerned when I heard rumors of someone taking it. I do not know who, or why, but I had an informant alert me to the possibility of it being stolen. Unfortunately, I was unable to stop them despite my best efforts, and the Azure Flute was stolen a week ago.

"I gathered the Elite 4 and began hunting them down until today, when the clouds appeared above Mount Coronet. That's when you three got involved. Someone managed to successfully use the Azure Flute to access the Hall of Origin. By the time I got to the peak of the mountain, they were gone, replaced by you three."

Niko blinked. "So, can anyone use the Azure Flute?"

"That's what troubles me the most. Only certain humans can play the flute and successfully encounter Arceus. However, as I said before, it's never been done. At least, there's never been a recorded instance of this. Arceus is a Pokémon with more power at its disposal than virtually any and all Pokémon. Whoever can control such power can alter reality as we know it. However, as my grandmother has said, controlling Arceus is impossible."

"So, this person…they can only access Arceus, but not use it?" Niko asked, noticing Cynthia immediately nod.

"The reason is still unknown."

"To summarize," Catherine stated, "Someone has gained access to Arceus using an Azure Flute that they stole from a location only known to Cynthia and myself and have entered the Hall of Origin to make an attempt at controlling Arceus. The reason behind this, as well as the person behind it, are still unknown, but it's clear the intent is not a benevolent one."

"Because of the dark clouds," Niko said.

"Yes. Either Arceus is rejecting the user or accepting them and giving in to their intent. The first one is more likely—Arceus is supposedly an inherently good, but just, Pokémon. It will do whatever is in the best interest of the universe it has created and does not give in to manipulation."

"So, what's next?" Jake asked, "do we have to do anything about this?"

Cynthia turned to him, "only if you want to. I am heading to Aether Paradise in Alola to convene with the Champions of every region. We need to do whatever we can to stop this before it gets worse. I am inviting you three to join me, if you want to."

Niko turned to Charlotte and Jake. He had been in situations previous to this where the end of the world was a very real outcome. However, he had never dealt with the Creator of Pokémon before. Arceus was an entirely different creature. Regardless of the reason behind its anger, the fact of the matter was that it was angry.

As usual, he felt a need to help.

"I'm in," Niko said. He turned to Charlotte. "You don't have to join me if you don't want to."

"I do," Charlotte said swiftly and decisively. "We're a couple. We're in this together."

"So am I," Jake declared.

Niko turned to Drampa, who also nodded. The elderly creature seemed more than ready to fight. "Off to Aether Paradise, then?"

Cynthia nodded. "We leave in an hour."


Author's Note: The plot thickens! What do you all think of this one? Any predictions on what'll come next? Who's behind all of this? Find out in the next episode!