Chapter 21: The Lost Tower
It turns out that Armstrong evolving was going to be the most exciting thing to happen all day. Upon exiting the gate and arriving on Route 209 I was excited at the prospect of getting another pokemon. I really need to add to my backup I thought sourly. If someone dies, I'm going to have to use Moka or Yaddle, there's just no other option anymore. I made a beeline to the nearest clump of tall grass, hoping to find some kind of new pokemon inside. The sound of a scuffle caught my attention and I ran over to check it out. Unfortunately for me, it was a Bibarel and a Roselia fighting over some berries.
"Ugh!" I groaned, exasperated over the whole thing. "Am I ever going to catch a new pokemon? Am I stuck with what I've got for the rest of this damn challenge?" I asked the sky. My musings seemed to frighten the pokemon off, leaving me alone with Armstrong, who was to distracted by his new form to have heard what I said. "C'mon, let's get to the next town." I grumbled.
Route 209, despite it's lack of pokemon for me to capture, was a really nice place. The path led over a river, the now familiar log bridges providing easy crossing. It bent at the beginnings of Lake Valor, turning north. Trainers were everywhere, and while they weren't much of a challenge after Fantina and Barry, they still provided some much needed training. After beating a pair of ranchers, they informed me that Solaceon Town wasn't far ahead. "Once ya see the Tower you'll know yer close." the older man said through his thick country accent.
"Tower?" I asked, confused.
"The Lost Tower. It's where all the pokemon that died go to be buried." his daughter piped up. "You can't miss it, it's right on the edge of town."
"Thanks." I said, stepping back onto the path and heading towards town. "That's got to be where everyone is." I said to Mufasa, who I had switched Armstrong out for. He merely nodded. I had grown used to his silence by now, actually preferring his company when on long treks through the wilderness. It was peaceful without anyone talking. After a short while it was about time for dinner. I was about to stop and set up a picnic when I saw the tower off in the distance. "Hey, there it is." I mumbled, shielding my eyes to get a better look. "Alright, let's go into town and eat. Then we can visit the Tower."
About an hour later we passed the Tower, walking into Solaceon Town. It was a pretty small place, mostly kept running from visits to the Tower and the daycare center that was run on a nearby ranch. I was tempted to leave someone there like Moka or even hatching the egg, but decided against it. If someone needed to be trained, it was best if I did it myself. After getting some food for everyone and checking in at the local PokeCenter, I decided it was time to pay my respects.
The Lost Tower was an impressive building, standing at least six floors high. It was a solid white obelisk, with holes cut into the stone to serve as windows. Pretty ominous as far as mass graveyards go. I stepped through the entrance, finding a large waiting room with pews and a front desk shoved near the wall. "Hello and welcome to the Lost Tower. Are you here to pay your respects?" the receptionist asked cheerfully. I nodded. "Can I have the name of the pokemon you are visiting?" she asked, facing her computer.
"There's three actually." I corrected. "Brittany the Bidoof, Lin the Graveller and Franklin the Grotle." She typed the names in as I said them, fingers moving quickly over the keyboard. The computer beeped and her eyes widened a bit.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Those three are at the top floor, on special request form the Champion herself."
The news startled me. "Really? What's so special about the top floor?" I asked.
"It's reserved for the pokemon of VIPs." she explained. "Normally, we have to cycle through the graves on the other floors. We can't fit all the pokemon that die in Sinnoh here in this tower you see. So every year we take the older graves and move them underground, freeing up spaces. It's not a matter of disrespect, it's just that we need to make way for any new bodies."
"The top floor, however, is off limits to any movement without consent from the trainer." she said. "Gym leaders and members of the Elite Four past and present all have pokemon buried there. It's not often that a normal trainer like yourself gets those plots."
"Well I'm not exactly what you'd call a normal trainer." I muttered, making my way towards the stairs.
"Oh sir! One more thing." she called. "Wild pokemon often roam the higher floors. The grave markers are practically indestructible, but please be careful not to damage the Tower, or hurt any other trainers."
"I'll be careful." I called, already halfway up the steps. I climbed up and up, every floor forcing me to cross through the gravestones. There were literally hundreds of tombs. Every now and then I would spot a trainer, mourning their loss. Finally, I managed to make it to the top floor. Unlike all the previous floors, which were filled with rows and rows of gravestones, this floor only had a few. They were spread out, keeping the space pretty neat and orderly. I glanced around, trying to find a group of graves but not having any success. My eyes caught two figures standing near the far wall. Must be caretakers I thought, walking over.
It turned out I was only partially right. The two figures were two old women, who introduced themselves as the managers of the Tower. "We make sure everyone gets the chance to mourn their loved ones before moving on." one of them said, her voice kind, reminding me of an old grandmother talking to her grandchildren. "These ones here, they were buried before their time. So sad." the other said, gesturing at the tombs they were standing at. I read the names and noticed with a start that it was my team. Brittany, Franklin and Lin, all in a row.
"Cynthia herself reserved this whole row, saying that someone was going to need it soon." the first caretaker explained. "I assume it was you she was referring to?"
"Yeah." I whispered, kneeling down in front of Franklin's grave. "These are my pokemon."
"Here." the other woman said, handing me three sticks of incense. "Place these in the notches here. It will calm their spirits." Normally I wouldn't agree to this kind of thing, but after seeing their spirits sail off with my own eyes, I obeyed, lighting the incense. The fragrance of cinnamon filled the air as I paused, thanking each of them for their time with me. I released the rest of my team, letting them mourn as well. Some, like Mufasa, Rose and Trish, stared silently at the graves before bowing their heads. Lola sniffled silently to herself. Surprisingly, Armstrong bawled like a baby, being pretty emotional about the whole thing. Sora patted his back with her wing, awkwardly trying to calm the large fighting-type.
"Alright guys, let's get out of here. We've still got a long way to go." I said finally, turning and walking away. I was halfway across the floor when a large black glob rose up in front of me. I stopped, watching curiously as it solidified into a ball, purple gas flowing off it. The ball moved slightly, turning left, then right. Finally, it spun around, revealing two large eyes and a mouth.
"Ahh!" the Gastly cried, backing away.
"Same to you." I said, chuckling. A skittish ghost pokemon. Who'd have thought?
"Oh. Oh thank Arceus, you're not a ghost." the Gastly said, its low toned voice revealing itself to be male.
"Hold on, why can I understand you?" I asked. "I thought I had to catch a pokemon before I could hear him."
"Oh, that's cause I'm a ghost." the Gastly replied. "I'm kinda telepathic. I'm not actually saying anything, I'm just telling your mind what I want to say. Cool, huh?"
"Definitely." I agreed. An idea struck me as I suddenly realized something. "Hey, you're the first pokemon I've seen here." I pointed out.
"So, what's that got to do with anything?" the Gastly asked.
"Well, I'm just wondering if you want to travel with me. If you're scared of ghosts you shouldn't hang out in a graveyard." I said.
"Oh, is that what this place is?" the Gastly said, looking around. "No wonder there's ghosts everywhere. Yeah, I'd definitely like to go with you."
"Got a name?" I asked, grabbing a pokeball out of my bag.
"Zak." he replied. "You?"
"I'm Nick." I introduced myself, activating the ball.
The next day I was pretty well rested. Glad to have finally caught another pokemon, I decided to do some exploring in town. Unfortunately for me, the town wasn't that large, leaving me with very little to look at. "Well this bites." I grumbled, standing in the middle of the road. "What's there to do around here?"
"You a trainer?" someone called. I looked over to see a girl about my age. She was a trainer, the pokeballs around her waist told me that much. She wore a black t-shirt with pink trim on the edges, a pink pokeball painted on the chest. She also had a jean skirt on, and large black boots. Her hair was long and black, and she wore glasses.
"Yeah, actually." I answered. "Why? Want to battle?"
"No, I don't really like battling much. Not when I can avoid it." she declined. "I did hear you saying something about nothing to do though. Why don't you check out the Ruins, they're always fun." she said.
"Ruins? Where?" I asked, my interest peaked.
"On the east side of town there, through the forest a bit." she said, pointing past the buildings on my left. "They've got some weird pokemon in them, and all kinds of cool items lying around."
"Cool, thanks." I said, taking off towards the forest excitedly. Wonder what kind of cool pokemon I'll find in there? I thought.
It turned out, nothing much. The place, Solaceon Ruins as I discovered from a sign in front of a cave, was absolutely filled with Unown. The letter pokemon floated around, watching me silently as I walked through the cave. "Man, this bites. I don't want to capture an Unown, that'd be a waste." I muttered. "Still, might find some interesting things inside here." I spent a while exploring the cavern, picking up some odd trinkets I found interesting like an incense burner and a plate with old engravings on the back. When my stomach informed me that it was time to eat, I made my way out of the caves and back to town, stopping at the restaurant I had found the other day. It was a pretty cool place that allowed pokemon inside the cafe. I sat down at a table, enjoying yet another burger with Armstrong. The sound of heavy breathing caught my attention and I glanced over to see a large man standing closely.
"You're Machoke looks pretty impressive." he said, his voice nasally. He had a shot black hair that was plastered to his head. He was pretty overweight, his white shirt straining. He had baggy jeans on and a backpack, pokeballs stuffed in the pockets. Overall, I was kinda put off by him, but took the compliment.
"Thanks man, I'm pretty proud of him." I said. Armstrong figured out we were talking about him and spontaneously started striking poses. He had gotten worse about that since he evolved, always wanting to show off his muscles. I put my face in my hands. "Until he does shit like that." I muttered.
"Truly a fine specimen." the man wheezed. "Still, he wouldn't stand a chance against my Heracross."
Armstrong paused in his posing, something I didn't miss. "Oh man, you've done it now." I muttered.
Armstrong jumped over the table, grinning broadly as he stepped towards the man. "Bring out this Heracross, let us do battle!" he cried. "I shall not let this challenge go unopposed!"
"I think he wants to fight." I explained, getting up myself. "Should we take this outside, don't want to destroy the place." I added, seeing the thankful look in a nearby waitresses eyes.
"Very well, let us do battle!" the man cried out, walking out the front door. I sighed, following him and Armstrong. What am I getting myself into?
Once outside, the man tossed one of the many pokeballs from his backpack, unleashing his Heracross. It actually did look pretty tough, it's blue exoskeleton polished brightly, the horn on it's head looking fierce and deadly. "I am the great collector Edwin! May I ask the name of my opponent?" he announced.
"I'm Nick. Let's just get this over with." I muttered, already done with the whole thing. "Armstrong, use Seismic Toss."
Armstrong shot forward, pulling off impressive speed for a fighting-type. He grabbed the blue beetle and spun it around, latching onto it in a reverse bear hug. He lifted, falling back as he threw the Heracross over his head in a german suplex, landing a powerful blow.
"You'll have to do better than that to defeat a perfect pokemon like Heracross!" Edwin sneered. "Use Brick Break!"
The Heracross surged toward Armstrong, a wicked gleam in it's eye. I noticed something shine as it whipped it's arm back, preparing for the chop. I knew the attack would hit because of Armstrongs ability, but I didn't think it would do much damage. I was wrong. The Heracross chopped sharply, smashing it's hand into Armstrongs ribs. The Machoke yowled in pain before being sent sprawling across the grass.
"Armstrong!" I cried, running after him. Checking the PokeTech, I confirmed he was alive, but only barely. "Holy crap man, let's put you back in your pokeball." I muttered, returning him.
"What's this? That Machoke was still able to fight, it hadn't fainted yet!" Edwin screeched. "This contest was to be between your Machoke and Heracross! I demand that you send your pokemon back out this instant!"
"Hey, fuck off, I'm not going to put Armstrong at risk just because you think your pokemon is better. You still want to fight? Fine, let's fight. Come on Trish." I shouted, releasing the Shellos.
She glanced around wearily before clapping eyes on the Heracross. "Oh my, you're a big guy aren't ya?" she said.
"What is this?" Edwin barked. "Keeping your Machoke safe in its ball when it clearly was going to lose? You're a disgrace! Heracross, remove this annoyance." he sniffed. The Heracross leaped forward, raising it's arm in another Brick Break. This time I saw it. The glint of light from before was because of a Razor Claw attached to Heracross' hand. Oh shit, that's why he's doing so much damage! I thought. "Trish, get out of there!" I cried.
Trish just smiled lazily. "Man, never thought it was gonna end like this." she mused. The attack came down, Heracross chopping right down on her head. She bounced sickeningly off the grass before landing close to me. It was clear that she wasn't breathing, the attack killing her in one shot. I watched as the blue aura surrounded her, her spirit taking off into the sky, the same lazy smile on her face.
"Just as I expected, now send out the Machoke! Let us end this battle!" Edwin announced, clearly not registering what had happened. A crowd had gathered behind us, watching from the restaurant. I heard a few gasps from them, so at least they knew what had happened.
I glared at Edwin. "You don't even realize what you just did, do you? Well, let me explain. You've just made the biggest mistake of your life. Sora!" I called, releasing her from her ball. "Take him out with Aerial Ace."
Sora sped forward, picking up as much speed as she could before closing the distance. She slammed into the Heracross, the attack cracking his armor and sending him flying down the road. "Heracross!" Edwin shrieked. "You've broken his armor! That's unfair, using a flying-type like that, I'll-" his next word was cut off, my fist firmly planting itself in his face. He fell back, clutching his cheek and howling in pain. "You brute! I'll call the police and they'll arrest you!" he whined.
I grabbed his shirt and leaned in close, our noses almost touching as I glared at him. "Do it." I spat. "I guarantee you that by the time they show up I will make sure you're an unrecognizable puddle of blood."
"Y-y-you damaged my Heracross." he mumbled through tears.
"AND YOU KILLED TRISH!" I roared, punching him again. I was going to yell at him more, but he was knocked out. I dropped him onto the grass and walked back to Trish's body. I picked it up, carefully holding her as I walked back to the restaurant. I payed for my meal and turned down the road, walking silently towards the Lost Tower, Sora hovering at my shoulder.
Quick Authors Note here, that trainer girl that told me to go to the ruins was a cameo by another nuzlocker, nonpareal. You can find the run on deviantart, just search for "Pearl Nuzlocke nonpareal" and you'll find it. Check it out, it's awesome. Thank you so much for the awesome reviews I have received the past few weeks, they keep me going. Peace =P