CHAPTER TEN: RETRACING ALONG AN ICY PATH
If he lived a lucky life so far, things had taken quite a turn now, Sven thought to himself as he stared at the map in his hands. But had he lived a single life? The way things had been going, he had lived two. The first life had been pretty, delicate, lovely, filled with the beauty of the world of Pokémon. Now, the call of the trees and fluttering wings did nothing for him, brought him no calm or inner peace. The call of power and death appealed to him, the thought of marking his name so deeply into the books of history, those things called to him.
The vast expanse of Mount Pyre loomed over him, a mountain that he had in his grasp. After the things he had found out, he had pinpointed this musty mountain to be his headquarters, but there was more than just stone about it. He knew that when he moved in and excavated and constructed it into the base it was now. There was a deep dark mystery about it that he hoped to uncover. He had arrived clueless at its scary characteristics, and for the first four months, he thought he had made a major mistake in coming here. He had found Pyre's endless graveyards to be nothing- nothing at all. There was nothing mystical, there were no souls erupting out of the earth, no impressive Pokémon apart from the already inhabiting ghosts- it was just a very dead and desolate place to be. This emptiness told him only one thing- that the souls were going somewhere. He had to find them somehow, before it was too late. He had been but a hopeless child and budding ranger when Giovanni had unleashed Mewtwo on the Pokémon world, but even then, he had seen through the glaring mistakes the Rocket Leader had made.
The world had come full circle now, and things had changed. Pokémon were different, battles were different, and most of all, trainers were different. Being a ranger had allowed him to observe many things from the background, things that gave him a better grasp of his surroundings and abilities. For one thing, his convincing powers had become an ability in itself- Maxie and Archie had just salivated at the thought of working for him once they heard his plan. And that was because his plan had no faults, no flaws, no holes. He just needed to start the process, and get the ball rolling.
The plan outlined by Professor Oak and Birch had sounded easy and relatively short to perform in the given amount of time. Travelling through the wilderness, taking detours around small towns, and flying and surfing to make good time had now left them exhausted and hungry on the doorstep of Lilycove City. They needed to stop to resupply, before the sun set completely.
The moment Ash and his friends had stepped into Lilycove City, they knew something was wrong. Heads turned at them, and while at first Ash assumed it was because of their unhygienic state and ragged clothing, he realized later that everyone looked at him like they knew him. In fact, they seemed to know everyone. Flannery, sticking close to him, literally shuddered at the looks people gave her. Finally, they rounded a corner and stepped into a dark alley between two houses, hoping to find refuge from the dark looks. They huddled over there, unseen finally.
"They know us, how do they know us?" came a hissing whisper from Misty.
"Everyone calm down, there must be an explanation for this. I'm sure-" Brock began, attempting to reduce anxiety.
"They're looking at us like we're criminals." Flannery stated blankly.
"Because you are, unfortunately."
Everyone whipped around at the same time, hands going to Pokeballs, and Gary went straight to fists, grabbing the newcomer by the shoulders and tugging him into their little circle. Ash's eyes widened when he saw the ruffled green hair covering the newcomer's forehead, and his calm brown eyes.
"Wally!"
"Ash." Wally nodded, smiling playfully, extending a hand to shake. "It's been a long time since I've seen your face. Gardevoir still misses you, you know."
"Guys, relax." Ash had to say before Gary backed off, still suspiciously glaring at Wally. "He's an old friend."
In the dim light, Wally looked like a shadow with a green mop on his head, though less humorously than Ash imagined. He was shorter than Ash and Gary, and was younger by a year or two, if Ash recalled correctly. He wore a pair of skinny blue jeans and a spotless white shirt with the top left unbuttoned.
"No talking here. Follow me." He said, turning around and walking out into the road now lit by streetlights. They formed a strange sight, a group of raggedy travelers following a clean and classy looking young man through the city.
The massive sprawl of Lilycove was revealed to them very slightly as Wally led them to a small house beside the expanse of the sea. After consciously looking around here and there, he took out a key and let them in. Once within, he locked the door behind him and heaved a sigh of relief.
"Are you crazy?" he demanded of them. "Just walking in here like bloody tourists?"
The sudden rise in intensity shocked Ash. He just stood there, dumbfounded.
"If this was the middle of the day the hoods would have shot you the moment you walked in!" Wally went on.
"The what would shoot who?" asked Gary, frowning.
"That's what we call them." Wally explained, using his hands to make his point. "The Apostle Police."
"The what?!" Now Ash was the incredulous one.
Wally tossed a newspaper across the room at Ash. Pictures of him and the rest of the group glared at him with an overhead text bearing the words: "If seen report to the Apostle Police." Below, another line read "Help your government and your government helps you." Ash collapsed onto the nearest sofa and looked at Wally.
"Explain."
Wally motioned for everyone to find a seat, and they did, on sofas and chairs, the kitchen counter, and on the floor next to the door. Wally busied himself putting the kettle on the stove and pulling out tea leaves and sugar as he talked. Ash noticed many little differences in the Wally he had met years ago and the older and pleasantly surprising Wally he was looking at now. His green hair had grown out slightly, but its all-over-the-place appearance did not give off a messy impression, in fact, it looked quite sophisticated. Wally was lean but not very tall, and he seemed to be fit and healthy.
"A lot of things have changed around here, Ash. You remember what Lilycove looked like when you first came here? I remember what it looked like for me. Fresh fruits everywhere, the smell of the salt in the sea, the friendly people, the huge mall with its many floors, it was paradise. In fact, I remember years ago when I flew into Hoenn that every city and town seemed like paradise. Living in Verdanturf carries one of the best memories for me. But things…things are a bit different now."
"Different how?" asked Ash.
"The government. You saw the newspaper. The authority that the Pokémon Champion and the Elite Four had is gone, as far as I can see. You see, the governments of our lovely regions has never been questioned or rebelled against simply because in a society like ours, we don't really go through much enforcement and things along those lines, right? There's never been someone to challenge for power. But now someone has, and not even the Champion could do much about it."
"You're really telling me that the Dark Apostles beat the Elite Four and the Hoenn Champion?" Ash was in a mind of his own, a mind of fear now.
"No, relax. That's what I was coming to. They didn't need to."
"Then how are they calling themselves the government?" Flannery spoke up, sweeping her red hair out of her forehead.
"Because they can. Money talks, and this Sven has a lot of it. He's taken every trade route, every seaport, and every tax that comes in. There isn't a thing in this region he doesn't own now. The Champion and the Elite Four can't touch him as long as he holds that much power. You know that a Pokémon battle doesn't solve everything. The power he has gives him protection. And…nobody really knows where he is. In fact, Derek and the Elite Four have disappeared too, which is why everybody's so scared of the Apostles. The moment I saw you guys in the papers I knew something was up, so I started talking to people.
"Nobody knows how the Apostles crept in, they just did. Now the laws have been rewritten, everything's changed. You need a pass and a license for everything, the known trainers abducted, the rangers have apparently gone into hiding, and random people disappearing here and there…It's been terrible." Wally began serving the tea, one by one to everyone.
Ash thought to himself, very curious. Wally was very well known, as much as he was. He distinctly remembered Gardevoir destroying opponents with a gesture, and Wally's face splashed across several papers for his flamboyant style of battling. How had Sven not coerced Wally into working with him? If Wally had in fact resisted, then wouldn't he be in the same position Ash and the others were in right now? But Ash also remembered Wally to be very quick on his feet and very resourceful. If anyone could hide from a hotshot criminal organization, it was Wally. But this wasn't hiding, not when you had a little cottage by the sea and you walked around unarmed and defenseless. Before he could ask, Wally went on.
"Sven has his people looking for all of you. We call them hoods because they're always wearing these white cloaks with hoods, and they walk around everywhere watching everyone. The other day an old man named Derek who lived here called them brats when they threw pebbles at him. By the time we got to him, the Houndoom had ripped him to pieces. The people are going crazy here. I don't know how it is in the other cities. We're not allowed to leave."
"Meaning?" Misty asked.
"You guys walked in just when there was a shift in the guard. And the Police have been holing up in their office for the past day or two for some reason. Usually, there are five Apostles standing at all exits and entries of the city, not letting anyone in or out. This is outside the group that patrols the city. You can't do anything without permission now. Even walking on the street has to be done carefully. They do everything to make sure we realize who's in charge. I've seen them kill people, kill Pokémon, just to prove that they're in control, not us."
Wally set his cup of tea aside, completely untouched in the heat of dialogue. He shook his head and shuddered like he was reliving a horrible memory. Ash could not imagine watching Houndoom rip an old man to pieces, nor could he think of Pokémon being killed just to prove a point. Things like that would scar him for life. He realized how deep into the situation Hoenn was. The people of the region were being controlled by a force they could not even think to oppose. Their primary defense, the Elite Four and the Hoenn Champion, had disappeared. It seemed that everyone could see clearly that the most powerful and well known trainers had disappeared as well. Ash did not like to think so boastfully, but he realized that it would be quite impactful to see two household Pokémon trainer names like Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak to be cast off as wanted criminals. He realized that the Hoenn people would have probably balked even more to see Flannery, a Gym Leader, be labeled a criminal as well. Ash bit his lip anxiously just thinking of how his mother would react when her son appeared in the newspaper for multiple counts of murder and trespass, and for being an 'enemy to the government of Hoenn'.
"Sven's slowly finding his way into everything. Soon, there'll be nothing left to fight him. No one. And you guys are in danger. No trainer escapes him. He either gets you to work for him or he kills you." Wally said this with an air of finality, declaring matter-of-factly that their lives were forfeit.
"And what about you?" Ash asked suddenly, looking Wally straight in the eye. "How are you safe and walking in the streets without the Apostles accosting you? How are you alive? Or have you agreed to work with Sven and is this a trap? Because how else would you know this much about the organization and its leader?" These thoughts had been spinning around in Ash's mind the moment Wally had begun describing Sven in such descriptive fashion. He hated being suspicious of a good friend, but a good friend could turn bad just as easy as it was to say 'Sven'. Ash's hand went to the first Pokeball at his belt- Absol.
"The Dark Apostles won't touch me."
Gary raised his eyebrows. "Really now. And why is that?" He said, rising to his feet. A flash of light spread momentarily and a huge Arcanine covered half of the room, its massive fangs bared at Wally, who did not flinch. Ash prepared himself for a Psychic assault from Gardevoir, but it seemed Wally had no intention of calling her out. All he did was raise his hands in surrender.
"Because he's my uncle."
His old bones seemed to creak as Oak walked down the stairs. Or were those the stairs creaking? Who knew these days. Half the time, he just wished the stairs would somehow transform into a slide so he could zoom down without having to use his aching limbs. It was somehow ironic- he had researched so much into the longevity and lives of Pokémon, and yet could do nothing for himself. Birch was a lucky one. He had not breached that terrible title of 'old man' yet. It was a time that was surely coming, but not anytime soon. Oak would probably be dead and gone by then. He did not shudder at the thought of death, not when he had watched the people so close to him escape from the very clutches of black death almost every year of his life. He had been thinking these things lately- of death and its possibilities, of life and its opportunities. With those thoughts he remembered these dark things. Gary's half-dead face had rekindled a long lost memory, from many many years ago, a memory that had come up while he brainstormed in front of the Law Stone. He had just decoded a piece of small writing at the side of the stone tablet that seemed to be sort of a warning to the men and women who chose to dabble in Pokémon souls. The warning went on to state how volatile the soul is when it is out of the creature, and how two souls are not meant to be close to each other. This was in truth almost the very same thing Oak had already read about- how dangerous the use of the Pokémon soul was. But this piece of information triggered two things. Firstly, it triggered the last conversation Birch and he had had with Gary and Ash regarding what perhaps lay under Mount Pyre. He understood now that there was a large possibility of the dead souls of Pyre somehow latching together to create what the Law Stone warned people against. It was a farfetched theory to think of, but he couldn't shake the image of a wild combination of the most dangerous Pokémon bursting out of Mount Pyre with a deep desire to kill everything. That image came to him along with a very disconcerting memory of an incident that had occurred about four years ago.
Four years ago, things had been very different. Things had been empowering for Oak especially, to see his little ones go forth and conquer the world so greatly. Gary and Ash had conquered the Pokémon world both in their own rights. Gary cared more for the statistics, for the trophies, and he devoted his energy completely to winning battle after battle, tournament after tournament. His strategies were spot on, and his desire was a rage that took him from newspaper headline to newspaper headline. At the same time, Gary faced stiff competition on the newspaper front, with a certain black haired wonder-boy Ash Ketchum stealing the spotlight in very different ways. Ash had wanted Gary's life, no doubt- he had deeply wanted the trophies and the prize money. But sometimes, children didn't know what they truly wanted. Saving Pokémon, conserving the natural ecology of the planet, helping others, that became Ash Ketchum's forte. The first headline he got himself said "Pallet Town Boy Saves Town from Raging Nidoking"- crisp text sitting atop a terrible picture of the hero himself grinning widely under that lopsided cap he used to wear. Ash continued, moving from rescuing Pokémon to capturing criminals. Ash ended up becoming what many a Pokémon trainer refused to become- a sort of a bounty hunter. Though Oak doubted very much Ash planned it in such a way, the young man moved from criminal organization to organization, ripping each to pieces the way a hungry Scyther slashed at prey. The Rockets fell, Magma fell, Aqua fell, and it all happened with the blink of an eye. True, Ash always had a friend with him to help, but he ended up helping more than being on the receiving end of help most of the time.
Oak had to admit, he wished Gary had been Ash and taken the high road and not the tunnel filled with treasure. But after some thought, he realized that both had been successful in different ways. At the same time, Misty Brock and May were flourishing. Misty became a true water Pokémon master, delving deep into the oceans to learn more and more. Brock turned from a nomadic trainer-breeder to a genius Pokémon breeder and caregiver. May surprised all by turning into a mature young adult with a strong sense of battle spirit. Oak's research on all things Pokémon had been going brilliantly simply because his morale was up, not to mention the discoveries Ash brought to him week after week- it seemed exploring and saving the Pokémon world involved finding plenty of pleasantly surprising artifacts and places. Such were things four years ago. That year began and ended beautifully, but Oak distinctly remembered a week in the calendar that remained with him forever.
He had made plans to take a trip up north, into an area alien to Hoenn, Johto, or Kanto. New areas fascinated him, and a friend had informed him that there were odd rumors in the air in this one. Chance had it that Ash Ketchum had thought the same, and had flown back to Pallet for it, only to get caught up in Oak's vacation plans. Ash had sounded enthused at the idea, and Oak confessed that a companion would please him greatly. The journey took plenty of time, even with the masterful air services offered from within Kanto. After eighteen hours of flying, the private zeppelin Oak had chartered dropped them off and left.
Aryon was a desolate place, cold and icy, freezing almost. Oak immediately questioned his informant internally, wondering how any life at all sustained itself in this dead and cold desert. The trees had leaves of cold steel, and the ground was either soft with snow or hard with ice. Ash and he, wrapped tightly, found the lonely farmhouse they had heard of and settled for a night in the warmth of a fire. The next morning, work began, and so did the expedition Oak had planned carefully.
The journey took them deep into the mountains, through crevices and cracks in the rocks, down sloping ice, and up cliffs they could only climb with the help of Ash's powerful Grovyle. Beyond the mountain, Oak found the icy wonderland he had been told of. Sheets of ice in every direction, going upward and downward and in every side glowed bright white. After making camp temporarily to eat, the pair clambered around Aryon, and Oak took samples of the plants he found, albeit dead and frozen. It was then that Oak discovered that this land had once been thriving, flourishing, and beautiful. If he dug deep enough, he found traces of shockingly green grass. Ash's Charizard flamed away, melting the ice to reveal a big bunch of yellow flowers frozen solid. Once or twice, Pikachu stumbled upon a piece of wood frozen beneath the icy floor. When Oak looked up into the sky, he could not understand how the sun had ever shone over this godforsaken land. Dark black clouds seemed to cover almost every inch of the sky, leaving minutes spaces for light to penetrate.
Then, suddenly, Oak understood why unfamiliar places could be dangerous. Night was blackest in Aryon, but Ash and Oak had no choice; a blizzard hit while they camped in the open icy field. Bracing themselves from the freezing wind, they pushed forward to the mountain they could faintly see ahead. An hour later, they found themselves in front of a massive cave, whose entrance seemed darker than the night around it. With Charizard melting a path through the snow and illuminating the air with his flames, they had got this far. Now at the entrance to this great cave, Charizard seemed to cower. His flames were weak and flickering in front of this blackness, and Oak's very insides seemed to freeze. Ash on the other hand summoned all his powerful Pokémon out, prepared for anything. Charizard, stronger with companions, stood strong. He blew a torrent of flames into the maw of the cave and the group advanced, six Pokémon, a very old man, and a very young man.
Oak had felt strong for a moment, with a top class trainer's Pokémon standing beside him, and then the cave lit up, and it wasn't from Charizard's flames. An icy blue had burst forth like a neon light, filling the cave with a mystical light for a few seconds, and then fading back into darkness. In those short seconds, the blue light had flashed Oak's very life to him. The beast that was revealed in the harsh blue light made his heart stop. He grabbed hold of Ash's arm and gripped it tightly, his fingernails digging into the flesh of the younger man. Ash did not feel the pain; in his fear he was numb. There were smaller flashes of light as Ash's Pokemon disappeared inside their Pokeballs. Pikachu did something highly uncharacteristic then: hiding himself in a Pokeball. Oak could understand. The senses of a Pokémon, especially visually, were much better than a human being's. The Pokémon had probably seen the monster properly, and fear had taken them. There was complete silence in the air now, apart from the breathing of the two humans and a thud-thudding that Oak was sure was his rapidly beating heart. The pair stood still for what seemed like ten minutes, and when nothing attacked them out of the darkness, Ash, still shivering in Oak's grasp, began feeling his way around the cave, patting the wall to his sides. The boy squeezed his way through a strange pillar-like structure that Oak had to go around. As Oak circled the pillar, it came to life, erupting in blue flame.
The navy blue fire gave off waves of cold, waves that seemed to radiate all over the massive cave and bounce back like an echoing sound wave. Another flame ignited, this time sending waves of light from the far end of the cave, which, the light revealed, was absolutely massive. Oak realized in an instant that Rustboro city would fit in this cave. Carved right into the mountain, it rose so high that they could not see the ceiling. But what took Oak's heart was not the size of the cave, not its height, not the cold, and not the spontaneously flaming lanterns. It was the colossal beast staring down at them from the end of the cave. The bright blue eyes were pools that would easily fit several Charizards. A long snout larger than Oak's bedroom was half open, revealing razor sharp teeth at least twelve feet tall. The head was only the beginning; the coiling body of the serpent seemed to coil for an eternity, making turn after turn after turn with a thickness unrivalled. At one glance Oak could see that this beast was at least seven or eight times larger than the largest Gyarados. He understood now why it took an entire mountain to hide it.
Ash breathed a sigh of relief beside him, and Oak could see why. The serpentine frame in front of them seemed to be carved out of the wall. The snake coiled up horizontally, its skin stuck to the wall. The entire creature was crusted with a layer of ice, and whoever carved it must have been not just a talented man but a man with decade and decades of patience to carve a thing of such monstrous size. Ash and Oak ventured forward tentatively. They walked so slowly at first, but then realized that everything was on a much larger scale within this huge cave- if they intended on getting to the beast at the end of the cave by tonight, they needed to cover more ground in less time. The rest of the cave, empty, echoed the sound of their feet hitting the ground. Finally, they stood in front of this great coiling thing that seemed to be stuck on the wall. The tip of the snout was bent low, and one could look directly into the sapphire blue eye. Oak and Ash simply stood there, marveling at this structure, until it happened suddenly, with not a single warning.
A deep hum seemed to fill the room, and the cold that emanated from the statue almost froze them solid. All of a sudden the massive blue eye seemed to glow brighter. A dark energy seemed to rise from the very floor of the cave, and the hairs on the back of Oak's neck stood up, and goose bumps prickled all over his skin. He backed away just as the growling began. From the half open huge cavity that the beast's mouth was, the sound leapt out louder than the loudest sound Oak had ever heard. The penetrating noise seemed to make his eardrums scream out in pain, and yet it was just a simple growl. But it was a growl made from the stomach and throat of something so large and so powerful, Oak could not do anything but back away as fast as he could, pulling a pale Ash with him. It did not budge, but the energy continued thrumming around the cave, and the low growl went on and on. As he looked upon the beast for the last time before exiting the cave, he took in the few scary details that had reminded him of this incident in the first place. In that horrific beast he seemed to see the fangs of a Rayquaza, hanging from a jaw that spoke of a Salamence. He seemed to see the eyes of a raging Gyarados frozen in time. In the coils he seemed to see a gigantic Seviper. To top it all off the beast was so big it needed a mountain to hide it. Oak had run out of that cave without a single glance, hoping to never see nor think about the beast again. But now its image could not leave his mind. He dreamt of glowing Pokemon souls, spinning in the air, and finally twisting together to form a massive snake frozen in time, with Rayquaza fangs and Gyarados eyes.
Back in the confines of his little cottage in Littleroot, Oak twisted in his chair, shaking with fear at a memory of four years ago that seemed to come alive once again.