Annnnddd we are back with another chapter of Shadows of Almia!
I decided that I'm only going to update every-other day from now on. Just a heads up.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Sorry to disappoint you.
Read, review, and enjoy!
Finding a Floatzel was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I almost went all the way to Altru Park before I managed to find one. Capturing it was also kind of annoying, but I still managed. Pachirisu also decided to be helpful, so that was good.
The Floatzel carried us up the shimmering Dream River until we reached a cave. The cave was even darker than outside. It was really hard to see. But luckily, Floatzel knew where he was going. He carried Pachirisu and I to the back of the cave, where he let us off at a dock.
"Thank you, Floatzel!" I called as the orange Pokemon swam away. "Let's get going, Pachirisu!"
The little electric Pokemon nodded, and we ran deeper into the cave. It got colder and colder as we went along. The ground was covered in ice, even though we were inside a cave. It was freezing. I was not looking forward to the Hia Valley…
The cave wasn't really hard to get through, it was just long. And annoying. And cold. Not really the best combination. I was really glad I had Keith's jacket.
"Well well, what do we have here?" Who said that? "I had only returned from sealing the exit to Hia Valley when it happened. Along came a Pokemon Ranger." A Team Dim Sun Admin walked over to me. "One obviously overwhelmed by the task at hand, and suitably weak in appearance." Hey! "With a flourish, I allow my fingers to scamper across the Miniremo's keys…" The Admin pulled a Miniremo out from nowhere and pressed a few keys. A second later, I was stuck in a capture with three Golbat. Great. Just great. They weren't hard to capture, but it was still annoying.
The Miniremo exploded as the three Pokemon flew away. "Humbled and crushed by the awful reality of my own weakness of being, I fled," said the Admin as he started to run toward the exit.
"How are you going to get out?" I asked. "Didn't you say you blocked off the exit?"
"Oh, right." Wow, so the Admins weren't any smarter! "Out the other way, then!"
The Admin ran past me and out of the long cave. I sighed. How was I supposed to get out, though? The Admin had blocked off the exit with a giant block of ice. Great, just great.
Suddenly, Pachirisu let out a cry and ran back through the cave. "Hey, where are you going?" I called, running after the little Pokemon. "Come back here!" I followed the Pokemon back through the cave, until I found her standing in front of an opening in the wall. "Is there something in there, Pachirisu?" I asked. Pachirisu just started at me. I laughed. "I'll take that as a yes." I walked into the cave to find a giant orange Pokemon. I think it was a Camerupt. Wait… a Camerupt… that's perfect! A Camerupt would be able to melt the ice that was blocking the exit!
I captured the Pokemon easily, then lead it to the end of the cave. It used flamethrower on the ice, effectively melting it. The Camerupt ran back to the cave, leaving me alone with my mischievous little partner. I picked her up and held her inside the jacket.
"It's going to be cold out there," I said. "Are you ready?" Pachirisu nodded, and I carried her outside of the cave. Everything was white. The Hia Valley was covered in snow. It was freezing.
"Come on, don't make me repeat myself, you warmly bundled fellow!" Another Dim Sun Admin! He was standing in front of a man wearing a blue coat. The man was standing in front of an Empoleon. "Hand over that Empoleon and make no fuss about it! I need that Empoleon for getting to Almia Castle!" Almia Castle? What was that?
"I said I won't, and I mean it!" The guy in the blue coat replied. "This Empoleon is injured! It needs treatment!"
"Then put a little spit on it!" the Admin said. "That and a bandage will fix it up! But okay, alright, you've made your point. If that's how you feel. I'll set my Houndoom on you with this Miniremo with the controls set on attack!" The Admin started to push keys on the Miniremo, and the Houndoom walked toward the man, growling.
Oh no. "Don't hurt him!" I cried, running to stand in front of the man. I set Pachirisu back on the ground next to me.
"Who are you?" the Admin demanded.
"I'm a Pokemon Ranger," I replied. "And I'm not going to let you hurt this man, or Empoleon!"
"Oh really, Miss thinly dressed Ranger!" I wasn't that thinly dressed. The jacket was a lot warmer than it looked. "Can your frozen hands handle your styler?" The Admin pushed some keys on the Miniremo and the Houndoom charged at me. I pulled out my styler and started to capture it. There were some slight difficulties because my hands were freezing, but I still managed. The Houndoom ran away and the Miniremo exploded.
"I want to peg you with a snowball. Hard," said the Admin. "That's how I feel about this." The Admin ran back toward the frosty cave. I turned to the man.
"Are you alright?" I asked. "That guy didn't hurt you, right?"
"I'm fine," he replied. "Thanks for saving me, Ranger!"
"Sparkette," I said. "My name is Sparkette."
"Well, thank you Sparkette!" the man said. "Call me Pamur. Everyone else does. It's my nickname. You see, my only son is named Murph, and since I'm his dad they arrived at Pamur."
"Oh, you're Murph's dad?" I said. "I work with him! I'm a Top Ranger at the Union. Murph is one of my friends."
"Oh really?" Pamur said. "Then I'm guessing you've had to bail Murph out a few times as well. Thanks for the both of us."
"Hey, it's what a Ranger does!" I said. "So, I'm pretty sure I heard that Dim Sun guy say Almia Castle. What is that place?"
"Oh, Almia Castle is an abandoned building on the other side of a lake," Pamur explained. "It's been abandoned ever since it was encased in ice. It makes no sense to go there now. I wonder why those Dim Sun bullies want to go there."
"How do you get to Almia Castle?" I asked. "If Team Dim Sun is interested in it, then I should probably check it out as well."
"You can cross the lake riding Empoleon, but since he's injured we can't get there," Pamur replied. "In the mean time, how about coming to our shiver camp? It's a little bit warmer than out here, anyway. Besides, it's pretty late. You should get some rest and warm up."
"Okay," I said. "Thank you." Pamur lead me down a snowy path that lead to a small camp. The camp was pretty empty. It had a few huts and a Ranger Depot, but other than that is was empty. It was as white as everything else in this frozen wasteland.
"Welcome to shiver camp, Sparkette!" Pamur said cheerfully. "Let's get you warmed up. I live in the dome in the back."
Pamur lead me through the camp to the largest dome, the one in the back. The inside was slightly warmer than outside, but it was still really cold. I held Pachirisu tightly, trying to keep us both warm.
"Would you like some hot chocolate or anything?" Pamur asked.
"Um, sure," I replied. "Thank you." Pamur walked over to a kitchen area in the back of the dome and put a kettle of water on to boil. I sat down at a small table.
"So that creep who attacked me was from Team Dim Sun?" he said.
"That's right," I replied.
"Come to think of it, the Almia Times wrote about them," he said. He pulled a newspaper out from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was a special edition that explained Team Dim Sun's goals, the Gigaremo, and it had a map of their crime rate. Far too many areas were red on the map for my liking. "The world's turning into a less and less safe place, it seems." The kettle whistled, and Pamur finished making the hot chocolate. He grabbed one of the mugs and handed it to me.
"Thank you," I said, taking the cup.
"So, how is Murph doing?" Pamur asked. "I hope he isn't causing too much bother for everyone."
"You don't need to worry," I said. "Murph is doing well. He's really nice, and he keeps everyone in good spirits. It's great to have him around."
Pamur sighed with relief. "That's good to hear," he said. "I know I'm being over protective, but I can't help but worry."
"Um, speaking of Murph, I was wondering if you could tell me anything about his pendant," I said.
"That was a souvenir for Murph, since I can only visit him occasionally," Pamur replied. "The pendant was handmade by Ms. Winter, who lives nearby. She's a sweetheart, that old lady. Just chatting with her warms me down cockles of my heart. To all of us in the research team, she's like an emotional stove. Maybe you should visit her tomorrow. She can probably tell you more about the pendant than I can."
"I'll go now," I said. "This mission is kind of important, so I'd better hurry."
"Okay then," Pamur said. "Feel free to come back here when you're done."
"I will!" I promised. "Pachirisu, are you coming?" Pachirisu nodded and lept of the table. We ran out of the hut together and into the snowy camp. We ran down the path until we reached a small log cabin. I assumed this was Ms. Winter's house, because no one else was crazy enough to want to live out here.
I knocked on the door. "Is anyone home?" I called. "I'd like to ask you about something!"
"Come in, then," a voice called from inside the cabin. "We can't have you standing outside in the cold."
I opened the door to be greeted by a blast of warm air. There was a fire crackling in the back of the cabin, and an old woman was sitting on a chair in front of it. I assumed this was Ms. Winter.
"Oh, hello!" she said. "It's a rare occasion to see a Ranger."
"It's nice to meet you," I said. "My name is Sparkette. I work with Murph."
"Oh, and you're a friend of wee Murph?" she said. I wouldn't really call him wee… "And what can I do for you today?"
"I was wondering if you could tell me about that pendent you made for Murph," I said. "What is that blue stone you used?"
"The small blue stone?" Ms. Winter clarified. I nodded. "When I was a child, we called those stones, well shards, really, the 'tears of princes. They were considered symbols of good luck. We were delighted if we found any."
"Tears of princes?" I repeated. "What are those?"
"In the Almia Region, there is a legend," Ms. Winter said. "When I was a little girl, everyone knew it from a children's storybook. That book faded from view over the ages. The folktale was eventually forgotten, too."
"Do you remember any of it?" I asked. "Anything you can tell me would be really helpful."
"I believe the folktale was titled 'The King of Almia and the Three Princes,'" Ms. Winter replied. "When deep darkness did arrive in the Kingdom of Almia, the prince in blue stood. We willed himself to shine with light. A light that turned darkness into light… I think that's how it went, anyway. I don't remember what the other two princes were doing or where they were. I'm sorry I can't help you with this. I read that story book so long ago. There is one other thing, the name Tears of Prince they gave to the blue stones... That is somehow tied to the ancient folklore. That I remember clearly."
"That sounds like an interesting fairy tale," I said.
"Yes, that's what it is," Ms. Winter said. "A fairy tale. But that blue stone... I really did find it near Almia Castle when I was a wee girl. When people saw it, they believed that it must've come from a giant blue crystal. Many daredevils went searching for the crystal in the castle but without success. They all had to give up and turn back. Those were the days..."
"Thank you for that intriguing story," I said. "But I'd better go back to camp. It's getting late."
"Come back any time, dear," Ms. Winter said as I ran out the door. Pachirisu and I ran all the way back to Pamur's house.
"Hey, Sparkette! Are you awake yet?" I groaned. Now I was. Thanks, Pamur! "You've got a visitor who wants to thank you!"
A visitor? I leapt out of the bed and ran outside. I wasn't planning on spending the night, so I didn't pack any nightclothes and ended up sleeping in my uniform. Oh well, at least it was warm.
When I got outside the hut, I found the Empoleon I helped the other day running around in circles. "Hey, Pamur," I said. "What's going on?"
"Empoleon wanted to thank you for your help yesterday," Pamur replied. "Thanks to you he's back to full health!"
"That's great!" I said, petting the Empoleon's head. "Does that mean you can take me to Almia Castle now?"
"Wait, you were actually serious about going to the castle?" Pamur said. I nodded. He sighed. "I guess I can't stop you. Be careful, alright?"
"I will!" I promised. Empoleon ran off to wait for me by the lake. "Are you ready to go to Almia Castle, Pachirisu?" My little electric Pokemon nodded.
We started to walk out of camp, but I stopped when my styler started beeping. Oops. I had forgotten to call the Ranger Union last night...
"Voicemail, voicemail!" Rhythmi's voice called through my styler. "Did you make it to Hia Valley yet?"
"Yeah, I got here last night," I replied. "Sorry I forgot to call."
"Hey, is that Sparkette?" Keith's voice came through the styler. "Rhythmi! You shoulda told me you were calling her!"
"Well, maybe if you asked me to tell yo-" Rhythmi started.
"So how's the Hia Valley, Sparkette?" Keith interrupted. "Is it cold?"
"Yes, Keith," I said. "The Hia Valley is very cold."
"Sparkette!" Rhythmi said. "Professor Hastings wants to talk to you! Let's go, Keith!"
"Wait, where are we going?" Keith asked. It sounded like their voices were getting further away.
"We need to go check on the research team!" Rhythmi said, cheerfully. "Sparkette, have fun in Hia Valley!"
"Hey! Why do I have to go?" Keith protested. I know I wasn't there, but I could just imagine Rhythmi dragging Keith down the escalator. "I never signed up for this!"
"Talk to you later, Sparkette!" Rhythmi called.
"Good morning, Sparkette," Professor Hastings said. Was he there the whole time? Did he hear our entire conversation? That was probably why Keith got taken away…
"Good morning, Professor," I said. "What did you want to ask me?"
"I was just wondering if you found anything out about that stone in Murph's pendant," Professor Hastings replied.
"I found out the stone comes from a larger blue crystal," I replied. "Apparently the shards were found by the Almia Castle, so I'm going to investigate today."
"Excellent work, Sparkette," Professor Hastings said. "While we were deciphering Brighton's diary, we came across the words 'blue gem'. Perhaps this is the crystal you heard about. Make haste to the Almia Castle, and report your findings."
"Okay," I said. "I'll call you guys later. Bye!"
I hung up the styler before Professor Hastings got the chance to reply. With Pachirisu close behind me, I walked out of the shiver camp and toward the frozen lake.
So yeah. Review if you enjoyed!