Pokémon: The Fourth Dimension
By Niko DelValle AKA Obrusnine
Some reviews would be appreciated. Thanks.
Chapter 5: Green
Twenty-Year-Old Tara Gone wiped the sweat from her brow as she finally reached the top of the desert mountain path. She grabbed a bottle of water from her hip and tried to take a drink, but there was nothing but dregs left. She sighed as she looked down on the desert below her.
"I hate deserts, but at least it isn't far now." She said to herself. Suddenly one of the Pokéballs at her hip burst open and her Swampert appeared at the base of her feet. "What is it?"
"Swampert!" He said pointing at her bottle.
"You want this Sport?" She asked. Sport nodded in response. "But… it's empty."
"Swampert!" He said again. She shrugged and tossed the bottle down to the Pokémon. It grasped it between its teeth, and then used water gun to fill the bottle. Then it tossed it back up to her, and she caught it.
"Wow, thanks." Tara said. She grabbed it's Pokéball from her hip and raised it. "Now you better get back inside before you dry out, we're almost there. Return."
It did a funny salute before disappearing back into its ball. She grinned as she continued down the mountain path taking a salute from the bottle. She had climbed many mountains to get this far, and she thought it was nice that she had finally crossed the Mesa Mountains of the Averous Region. She had been taking a boat here, but the boat was turned around upon its arrival. They were quarantining the region due to the plague.
That wasn't going to stop her, she was going to compete in the Averous League whether they liked it or not. Of course there were other regions to compete in, but she was stubborn. She said she was going to compete in Averous so she was going to compete in Averous. She let the boat drop her off in a nearby region and had crossed the fenced off border into Averous using her Pokémon. She had won the Hoenn Region Championship, she wasn't about to let a bit of travel and sickness get in the way.
From there she had walked across the desert and into the Mesa Mountains in Southwest Averous. She had been traveling through the mountains for almost a week and was running low on supplies, but she was almost to the most Southwest Averous city… Dererket City. Once there, she would pass through there and proceed East towards Center City, after that Mountain Town. There was also a forest town a bit more East called Etios Town, and as much as she wanted to challenge the gym that was her destination first.
Because another reason she had been so determined to challenge this league even after being denied access was because of a letter she had received from one of the guys who denied them access to the region, not the sender just a middleman. She pulled it out and looked down on it now.
Dear Miss Gone
I am Professor Planetree of the Averous Region, and I congratulate you at your triumph in the Hoenn League! It was quite the spectacle to behold! The final battle with your Sceptile against that Darkrai, just incredible.
But I am not writing to you as a fun, but as a desperate man seeking help. There's something I need your help with, and it's extremely important that it doesn't get out because it could send this war far out of hand. The government would not believe me if I told them who was really responsible, nor could they help anyways. So I need to seek the help of a few exceptional trainers for help. And as far as I know your personality you don't abandon those in need.
Please, at your earliest convenience come visit my lab in Etios Town so we can talk further. This situation requires a certain delicacy so please tell no one that you received this letter.
By the way, as you try and break into the Averous Region (you don't fool me, I know how stubborn you are just from watching you battle), the perimeter security is weakest on the Southwest Border. And none of the security patrols anywhere near the Mesa Mountains.
Just a bit of advice.
Sincerely, Professor Alan Planetree, MD
She put the letter away to continue walking. She had read it over several times on her way here.
As she walked, she noticed she couldn't see the city from wherever she was. She hoped she hadn't lost her way… Suddenly her attention was pulled off of that as she spotted someone in the distance. It was a young boy being chased by two guys wearing the same black jackets. He could also spot a purple letter L peeking out from their shirts.
"Kid stop! We're not going to hurt you, but we need that map!" One of them yelled.
"Leave me alone!" The boy shouted back. "This map belongs to my family, not criminals like you!"
Tara was not one to leave someone in need without help, so she broke off at a run for the kid. The kid stopped and looked at her fearfully.
"I'm not gonna hurt you, or take whatever map they want. Just get behind me." She said. The boy nodded and got behind her as Tara grabbed a Pokéball from her hip. She had gotten this ball specially designed, so it had a deep grass design covering it. The two men walked up breathing deeply when they saw her.
"Hey lady, this is none of your business, give us the kid." One of them said.
"I think it very much is my business as a Good Samaritan." She replied. "Now leave the boy alone, whatever you want it obviously doesn't belong to you."
One of the two guys looked at his partner.
"Should we? It's only a rumor the map could be fake…" He said.
"It doesn't matter, if it's real our boss is going to need it when she heads for the Shrine of the Four." The other replied.
"Alright." He looked back at Tara, who glared at him. "Lady, I'll give you one more chance. Get out of the way or experience the consequences."
She didn't reply, only raised her free hand and made a "come at me" gesture.
"Fine then." He replied. "Go Aggron!"
"Go Pidgeot!" The other said. They both threw Pokéballs and the respective Pokémon emerged from the balls. Tara grinned, they were both pretty strong Pokémon, and she would thoroughly enjoy crushing them.
"Go Moss!" She cried throwing the ball. It hit the ground and out emerged her prized Sceptile. Her first Pokémon and her best Pokémon friend. It had a toothpick reaching slightly out of its mouth, but it spit it out as it saw its two opponents. "What do you think Moss? Need some help or should you be able to take em?"
"Sceptile…" It replied moving its head as sarcastically as possible.
"Oh, real smart-alek are we? Fine, let's do it." She said.
"One Pokémon against two? You're making this too easy." One of the thugs said.
"Since it's so easy, guess I'll start first." Tara said. "Moss, use Mega Kick on that Pidgeot!"
Sceptile took off so fast it was almost imperceptible. It kicked up tons of sand as it ran towards its opponent.
"Get in the air!" The Pidgeot's owner cried. It took off.
"Jump off of that Aggron's head!" Tara said. Sceptile quickly moved to obey, charging at the Aggron.
"Use Mega Punch Aggron!" Its owner cried. The Aggron's fist started to glow and when Sceptile was in range, it lashed out. She just smiled, as Sceptile suddenly jumped up onto its fist and use it to get to the Aggron's head. Its foot started to glow, before it leaped high into the sky off of the Aggron's head.
"Go higher Pidgeot!"
It was too late, Sceptile flipped over in the air and smashed the Pidgeot with its leg, sending it flying out of the air and rolling after hitting the ground not far away.
"Come down with Leaf Blade and finish this Moss!" Tara cried. The Sceptile grinned as it reoriented itself towards the Aggron and crossed its arms. Glowing leafs came from its arm and sharpened.
"Aggron get out of the way and use Metal Claw!"
It was too slow, Moss came down hard on the Aggron. There was an explosion of dust as it hit, obscuring the trainers eyes from the conclusion of the battle. The dust cloud took a bit to clear, and when it did, Moss was standing with one leg on top of the unconscious Aggron's head. Tara grinned.
Not very strong after all I guess. She thought. The two guys seemed unable to comprehend what was going on.
"Wait a second, I know who you are." One of the two said after a long pause. "I saw you in the news, you're the Hoenn League Champion. Tara Gone."
"A Champion? We'll never win, let's get out of here!" The other one said before running. The one left recalled his Aggron and took off at a run. The other scooped up his Pidgeot before continuing to run.
"Thank you." The kid said. Tara turned to face him.
"It was no trouble kid. You should get home to your parents and report this to the police." She replied. "Though I don't think they'll be bothering you again. I gave them quite the scare."
"More will come if they think I still have this map." He said. She saw it then, an old map curled up in his arms.
"What's that map lead to if I may ask?"
"The Shrine of the Four." He replied.
"What's that?" Tara asked curiously.
"Oh, you must not be from around here if you don't know about the Grand Four."
"Ha, nope, not in the slightest." She replied grinning while scratching her head.
"Why don't you come with me to home? You look tired, and my Dad can fill you in, he knows more about it than I do. He's an Archeologist." The boy said. "We have food to."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude." Tara said. Moss suddenly came up to stand beside her crossing his arms. "He might though, guess we're all hungry."
"Don't worry, it'll be fine. And my Dad will really appreciate you saving me!"
"How did you even get all the way out here kid? Did they chase you all the way from the city? No one helped you?"
"Well, I was kind of outside the city with the map and a translation book of my dad's. I want to be an Archaeologist to so I was trying to see what all of the markings on this thing say." The boy answered. "Dad already translated it but I wanted to try and do it myself."
"Your Dad let you borrow this?"
"Yea, I usually go to the same spot outside the city to study because it's quiet."
"I see… well, lead the way kid."
"My name's Dorn by the way, not kid." He said as he walked past her. She laughed.
"Of course it is, sorry Dorn." She replied. "Return Moss, I'll call you out when it's time to eat."
"Sceptile." It stated as it disappeared inside of its ball.
"You're strong you know. I want my own Pokémon, but I'm not old enough for two more years. That's when I turn ten." He said.
"Why aren't you in trainer's school then?" She asked as they walked.
"Well I don't have enough time to study to be an Archaeologist and a trainer." He replied. "My Dad's teaching me. But uh… if this plague goes on for too long I may never get a Pokémon. Starters and Trainer ID's are being restricted right now as far as I know… Only the best of the best from trainer school are being allowed to begin their journey's as far as I know, and I can't attend trainer school."
"I see." She said. "What's this plague do? I haven't heard much about it."
"It's called Planetree Disease, and it kills primarily…" Dorn replied. "That's why they quarantined the region. It kills fast to, within days, or hours for Pokémon depending on their size."
"Okay, and what about those guys that were after you?" Tara asked. "Who were they?"
"They're part of a criminal group, Team Legend, that's been part of Averous for a few years now." He responded. "They've kicked up their operations recently, no one knows why. I don't understand why they were after this map, maybe my dad will know, but what I do know is that it wasn't anything good."
"Very curious… maybe we can assume more once I know more about these Grand Four you speak of."
"Heh, they're worshipped like gods in the North you know?"
"You know a lot you know that Dorn?"
"Yea, I do."
"You do good things with that head of yours." Tara said with a grin.
"I'll make sure to." He replied with a smile.