Episode 10

Steven walked out of the cave, the sun glaring harshly in his eyes. He observed the forest in front of him, searching for any sign of a team aqua ambush. As he scanned the trees, his hand moving involuntarily to his jacket pocket, Blake, Brandon, and Annabelle walked out of the cave, glad for the guidance that Steven had provided.

"Hey," Blake said, "I know where this is."

"Really?" everyone else said in reply.

"Yup. This is a small forest to the west of Meteor Falls." Blake said, "I figure we're at the lowest point. I had no idea there was a cave here."

"All true," Steven said, "Now, I may need to explain that cave to you; as I promised."

The group nodded, their curiosity piquing their interests, fueling their desire to know what they'd discovered.

"As I said before, it is known as Jirachi's Palace." Steven began, "I had been looking for it after I'd finished my advanced training. I used to be the champion, and I believe some shady characters may have infiltrated the elite four, so I need to regain the title. Anyways, that's all you need to know about me. The writing upon the cave wall told of Jirachi's three gifts. It told that every thousand years, it gives three gifts to three children born on its awakening. One of these gifts is the gift of extreme psychic power. It is said the power always varies with the wielder, and no two psychics have had the same powers. The psychic has a special link with pokemon, and finds it easy to communicate with any of them. The psychic can also use their power without a psychic pokemon to channel it, and it is said they can nullify psychic energy. The second gift is the power of auras. Known as the Aura Seer, the wielder of this gift has the ability to see, and even manipulate auras with proper training. They can use their aura to protect themselves and heal others, and people and pokemon with pure auras are attracted to them, as the Aura Seer can do no harm unto others. The third gift is known as The Fortress. The Fortress always has a suitable weapon for any time, and the information of how to use it. It is strong and dependable, never falling during battle. And it has the power to strengthen others to around it, strengthening their willpower, giving them power to fight in the toughest of situations. Those are the three gifts, the information on The Fortress was a bit worn, so my details might not be totally correct."

Blake, Brandon, and Annabelle sat before Steven, lost in thought. Each one was around the proper age to receive a gift. They were curious, could any of them have received these gifts, and was it even possible that these gifts existed, and probably most unanimous was the question of how no one had noticed Jirachi giving a fortress to a baby. They tried to wrap their heads around this, then gave up.

"So Blake," Steven said, "How'd you know I was the former champion?"

"I used to live with Lanette before I was adopted. You dropped by sometimes on your trips to Meteor Falls. She told me who you were."

"That explains a bit, but what about this berry pokeball you handed me."

"Oh yeah, the berryball, my dad had it, he said he'd confiscated it off of a thug in Slateport. I showed it to Lanette on my way here and she told me to show it to "Mr. Stone" or "The Devon Corporation"."

"Well it's interesting, do you mind if I look at it back in Rustboro? I'll return it before I leave town again."

"Sure."

"Um, excuse me." Brandon said formally, "Could you tell us some more about what happened with Team Aqua? For such a strong group I haven't even heard of them before."

"Yeah," Steven replied, "I was able to help break down their empire sixteen years ago, but apparently they're trying to form up again. Last time they didn't know the full potential of Kyogre, but I think this time they do, and they want to release it upon the world. The man you met, Aaron, is a top ranking member of the pokemon fan club. He used his fame and money to get his more radical followers to join team aqua. Team Aqua still isn't organized enough to be a major threat, but I feel they have enough key pieces that it's not going to be that way for long. I advise the three of you to either stay out of their way, or know that you'll need to train to be able to take them on. And I assure you, someone will get hurt, make sure it's not you."

Brandon looked horrified at what Steven had told him. Blake had been playing with Akadra, but both had stopped when the magnitude of the information came down on them. Annabelle punched a rock in anger. It broke. Her hand didn't.

"I'm sorry I'm a bit of a downer, but truth is my policy." Steven said, "Now let's get moving, you have a mission to report on."

They arrived in Rustboro as the dinner rush was setting in. Steven bid farewell to the group, then disappeared into the crowds of people, rushing to their destinations. The group dropped their pokemon off at the pokemon center, grabbing a little food, then went to the Ranger HQ to report on their mission.

"Hey boss." the scrawny desk clerk yelled back as the trio arrived.

The head of the branch walked into the room and stood expectantly, waiting for their report.

Blake stepped forward.

"Sir, we would like to report that the earthquakes in the area were caused by the drilling into an ancient cavern by Team Aqua. We followed the tunnel system to find an Aqua superior studying what he called the Oceanus Chamber. We tried to apprehend the Aqua superior, however he was really strong. After we were defeated, a stranger came and defeated the Aqua superior and them left the cave. We exited and reported back here. Also, we gained assistance from our friend Annabelle, who would like to apply for internship as a ranger. If she is accepted, we would like to form a ranger group."

The boss listened intently to this information, then whispered something to the desk clerk.

"Excuse me, I have to make a few calls." he said, then left the room.

The desk clerk chimed in, "Annabelle is it? If you could please fill out this paperwork, afterwards you'll most likely be accepted as an intern. In the meantime," she leaned towards Annabelle to whisper this part, "Keep those two boys out of trouble. They get into more than anyone else."

"That we do." Blake said casually.

"How?" the desk clerk interjected.

"You'll never know. Heh heh heh."

As evening set over Rustboro city the trio headed back to the pokemon center, Akadra running to meet them. They bought some food at a nearby convenience store and settled into bed, the past two days having been rough on them.

Night descended upon Rustboro, and everyone was asleep except for Blake. Night always seemed to make him restless, and the silence he always felt was stronger during the night. He quietly got up, grabbed a handful of sitrus berries, and left the pokemon center.

His bare feet brushed through the cold grass, as he wandered through the rocky fields west of Rustboro. It was quiet and calm. Blake moved over to a rock and sat down, placing the sitrus berries at his feet. He was tired, tired of being alone, and tired of walking through a life of stillness. He never felt joy when others did, but put on a facade to convince others, and himself, he was happy. It was just too damn silent. He watched as all kinds of pokemon slowly approached him, then took a berry and ran off. He watched the grass rustle as a Nincada slowly walked toward the berries. It's face lit up with recognition. Blake sat as the Nincada grabbed a berry and walked up to Blake offering him the berry, whispering to him, "You'll get better if you eat this. Just like I did."

Blake smiled, the creasing of his face causing a tear to drop onto Nincada's back. He grabbed the berry and quietly ate it, watching Nincada lay down on his lap, and gently fall asleep. Then he walked back to Rustboro, the Nincada nestled against his shoulder, his arms supporting its fragile body.