Chapter 44 – Blast to the Past
Last time on "Tale of a Legend"…
Thrin encountered a sobbing Yamask shortly after finding the mysterious golden mask lying in the corridor, and deduced that the item belonged to the little Ghost-type. To the Yamask's jubilation, she kindly returned it before continuing on her way. Meanwhile, Volan had been taken to a magnificent throne room for unknown reasons by a Sigilyph, where he discovered more about Reshiram, the White Hero, and the hero's companion, Larvesta. However, the Sigilyph soon ran off after detecting trouble – Volan, Rickie, and Victini followed it to find all of his friends in a small chamber, battling a Cofagrigus! The Plasmas Rinkus and Sierra were there as well, and voted for fleeing when two more Cofagrigus showed up. But the explosion of a Shadow Ball sent the Team Plasma grunts as well as the Gurei siblings flying into a portal, which led to parts unknown…
-.-.-.-.-.
The first thing that hit the Gureis was the sunlight – pure, bright, burning sunlight. After so long cooped up in the dark, old Relic Castle corridors, the glow of the sun seared their eyes and forced them to squeeze them shut. Thrin's Pokemon, who had followed them through the portal, had similar reactions.
"M-My eyes!" exclaimed Thrin, slapping her hands instinctively over the sensitive orbs.
"Just keep them closed," said Volan in a strained voice, suggesting to Thrin that he was undergoing a similar agony. "We'll be able to see again in a minute."
Finally, their eyes grew used to the abrupt and dramatic change they had been forced to endure, and the two siblings cautiously opened their eyes, still squinting and blinking occasionally to help them adjust more quickly. And all at once, their eyes widened at the astonishing sight they beheld.
Volan and Thrin hadn't expected to be transported outside, not by a long shot – but if they had, then they would imagine arriving in someplace familiar, like the forest on Route 2 or the lakeside on Route 3. But the sight that greeted their eyes was anything but recognizable. In fact, neither of the two could remember ever seeing anything like it in their lives.
They were standing at the top of a great, grassy slope that curved down at a steep angle. Behind them was a huge cliffside, attached to an even larger mountain, with an opening in the side framed by (or possibly made from) three large, fractured boulders. The cavern was blocked by the shining portal from which they had entered. The peak of the mountain they stood in front of soared high in the sky, covered in snow and stabbing right through an equally gigantic cloud formation. The sun shone through a large gap in the clouds, illuminating Volan and Thrin's part of the hill.
But it was the vision in front of them that truly astonished them. From their high vantage point, they could see endless grasslands that stretched on for as far as the eye could see. A great lake sparkled in the sunlight a kilometer or so away from them, and groves of immense trees dotted the landscape here and there. The trees were unlike anything Volan had ever seen before – they were tall and had a single array of strange, broad leaves which sat upon their crowns. They looked a bit like palm trees, only much bigger and with duller colors.
Ultimately, it was Thrin who voiced the inevitable question. "Alright, I know the portal transported us here, but where is here?"
Volan only shook his head, a gesture mimicked by the Pokemon. None of them had the faintest idea.
Suddenly, Volan thought of something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Bernice's Poke Ball, then opened the capsule. A flash of blue light occurred, and Bernice materialized in front of them, looking relieved at being out of her Poke Ball at last. The expression on her face rapidly changed to one of confusion as she, too, was unable to figure out where they were.
"Trrrranquill?" she inquired, tilting her head as she regarded her master.
"No, I'm not quite sure either," Volan replied – he was unable to completely understand her, of course, but he knew nevertheless what she was asking.
"We really should get back to the Relic Castle," Thrin said suddenly, jerking a thumb at the portal that still swirled behind them. "Will and Professor Scatterly need us to help them against those Cofagrigus – not to mention Stephan, who could still be wandering lost in the ruins."
Volan was about to agree, but something stopped him. It was his curiosity about this new place, telling him to find out more about it and why it looked so different from the rest of the world that he had seen so far. He was about to tell Thrin this, that he wanted to stay and learn more, when he noticed something very worrying.
"Thrin," he said, slowly turning away from the view in front of them and back toward his sister. "Where did the Plasmas go? Weren't they transported here with us?"
Both of them looked around for any sign of the grunts. They knew that Rinkus, Sierra, Pterano, and Kermit (as they referred to him) had all been blasted into the portal alongside them. So why weren't they here now?
"I say we look for them," Volan said decisively. "They could be making more trouble someplace in this strange land."
Thrin scratched her head. "And what if they weren't transported here, but to some other place?"
"Then our efforts will have been for naught," her brother replied with a shrug. "We can't just abandon them, even though they're part of Team Plasma. I think we should at least try to find them."
Bernice nodded her agreement. "Trrrranquill!" she squawked.
Sighing, Thrin nodded as well. "Alright then," she conceded. "Let's go look for those Plasmas. Although I still think we should ditch them…"
The Yamask that Volan noticed was following along behind Thrin spoke up just then. "Mask, ya Yamask?" he said confusedly. "Are these Plasmas bad people? Is that why you want to leave them behind?"
Valkyrie shook her antennae menacingly. "Veni Venipede," she hissed. "Yes, they steal other humans' Pokemon and cause trouble for everyone. But they say they're doing it for the good of Pokemon everywhere."
"Nite," sighed Oliver. "What a bunch of hypocrites…"
Hearing the conversation the Pokemon were having caused Thrin to turn back. She had almost forgotten about the Yamask that she had found in the Relic Castle, that she had made smile and cheer with happiness.
She made a decision just then. Nodding once to herself, she took a few steps toward the group of Pokemon and knelt down to face them. Volan and Bernice exchanged quizzical glances, wondering just what she was doing.
"Yamask," said Thrin, causing the Ghost-type to look up in bewilderment. "I'd hate for you to have to go back to living in that dreary castle after I leave. So I was wondering, would you like to join me on my travels with my Pokemon and my brother?"
Initially surprised and almost overwhelmed by this sudden proposition, Yamask jumped up into the air and frantically nodded his head. "Ya! Ya! Ya!" he said over and over again, bowing repeatedly.
Volan watched the Spirit Pokemon express his gratitude. "It's like he's saying 'yes' and 'thank you' at the same time," he murmured.
"Trrranquill," replied Bernice. "He is."
Thrin giggled at Yamask's enthusiasm. "OK, if you're going to join me, I'll have to give you a name. How does… Jet sound?" she asked, pausing a moment in order to think up a good name.
Awed at the idea of being given a name and treated like an equal by the girl whom he already owed an enormous debt, the newly christened Jet hopped into the air again. "Ya, Yamask!" he cried happily.
"And here I thought Yamask couldn't smile, or feel joy," Volan said to himself, observing the way Thrin and Jet interacted. "My sister might not be the most skilled of Trainers, but her way with Pokemon is nothing short of incredible."
-.-.-.-.-.
After Thrin recalled all of her Pokemon into their Poke Balls, including Jet, the Gurei siblings walked down the slopes of the hill, keeping an eye out for Team Plasma but at the same time gazing in wonder at the strange land they had been transported to.
The sky seemed more blue, the clouds seemed fluffier, the grass seemed greener… everything about this realm made the world they lived in look like a pale reflection of what it could have been. The air was fresh and sweet as they breathed it in – it flowed through their lungs and into their blood, invigorating them more than any air they had ever breathed. It was as if there was no pollution here. It was as if humans didn't even exist in this place.
"This place is quite beautiful," Thrin said idly, craning her neck to stare up at the tops of the tall, odd-looking trees that dominated this land.
"Beautiful, but very strange," Volan replied. "I've never seen anything remotely like this place, even in books."
"True," his sister agreed, then let out a small gasp. "Hey, maybe we're the first to discover this place!"
Volan hadn't thought of that. He had always wondered what it would be like to discover something brand-new, something never seen before, and now he guessed that they had just done so.
"Perhaps," was all he said, however. He quickly went back to his examination of the weird-yet-pristine grassland across which they walked.
Just then, there was a blur of motion and a buzzing sound, and Volan flinched back as something passed by just under his nose. He composed himself, then adjusted his glasses and stared wide-eyed at the creature that he had just encountered. Hovering before him was a Pokemon that was completely unfamiliar to him – it resembled a mayfly and had four long antennae extending from its abdomen. Its body was a pale brown color, and its wingspan was as long as Volan's arm.
"What is that…?" Thrin muttered, equally amazed at the unknown Pokemon.
The mayfly-like Pokemon was on the move again, buzzing away from the two of them and toward the grove of trees just ahead. But suddenly, there was a loud thrumming sound, like the spinning blades on a helicopter. Another flash of color and motion occurred – and the mayfly-thing was no longer there.
"Look!" cried Volan, pointing overhead.
Circling back toward them was an abnormally gigantic Yanmega, at least ten feet in length. Its whirring wings were what made that helicopter-like drone, and its long, grasping legs clutched the helpless mayfly Pokemon close to its body. The Yanmega shot off like a fighter jet, its prey unable to escape its iron-like grasp.
"Did you see the size of that thing?!" gasped Thrin. "That was the biggest Bug-type I've ever seen!"
Volan replied, "Tony Miller would go nuts at the sight of it. Yanmega are usually only about four feet long – that one looked almost thrice that."
A screech rang out into the air, distant yet impossibly loud. Volan looked at the blue, blue sky once again, expecting to see a super-sized Braviary next, perhaps with the Yanmega in its talons. But there was nothing to be seen except the clouds.
"We'd better find Team Plasma quickly," the Gurei boy said numbly. "I wouldn't want to be stuck alone in a world with giant Pokemon."
Thrin stammered out her response, so shaken was she. "Y-Yes, neither would I. Let's head for that lake we saw earlier – maybe we can better spot Team Plasma from there."
"Trrrranquill, quill," agreed Bernice, ruffling her feathers uncomfortably.
The two Trainers reached the banks of the great lake soon after they left the trees behind. Up close, the body of water was larger than they had expected, almost the size of an ocean from what they could see. The crystal-clear water sparkled under the radiance of the sun, and waves lapped at its sandy banks in a constant, soothing rhythm. Volan shuddered at the sight of so much water all in one place, but when he looked past his fears, he could help but think that this lake was absolutely beautiful.
Thrin bent down over the water and stared at her reflection for a second. The water was remarkably clean, with no muck or debris swirling around in it. Experimentally, she cupped some of it in her hands and raised it to her mouth. The water tasted nothing like what she was accustomed to, being cold and sweet at the same time. If one could taste purity, than the water would indeed taste of it.
"Come drink some of this, Volan!" the younger Gurei called back to him. "You've never tasted anything like it!"
Volan took a single step toward the water, and froze as something crunched under his foot. He looked down at the sand and immediately flinched backwards at what he saw.
It was the shed skin of some kind of crustacean, split down the middle of what he assumed to be the back. If Volan could assume the skin conformed to the body of the creature that shed it, then the owner of the shell would have eyes on short stalks, a series of fins running down its flanks, and two long, curled appendages at the front of its head.
The Gurei boy grew still. A slow realization dawned on him – he had seen the Pokemon that had supposedly shed this skin before.
But that would mean… he thought. No, that cannot be. It's impossible!
Immediately, Volan crouched down and threw off his backpack, prompting Bernice to flutter down onto the sand beside him. Frantically, he unzipped the largest of the zippers and began to search through his backpack, searching for the book he had brought from Lacunosa Town. It was a book he didn't think he'd ever need to open.
"What in Arceus' name has gotten into you?" Thrin asked him, walking up to stand by his side. She instantly noticed the skin on the ground, and jumped at the sight of it.
Even as Volan got out his book, Thrin breathed, "Where in the world are we, Volan?"
A screech pealed through the air, the same one they had heard a short time ago. But now it was so close, it sounded more like a roar. Volan instinctively looked up, already fearing what he might see. He saw the creature circling in the sky on broad wings, and replied to Thrin's question…
"I think you mean, 'When in the world are we'," he murmured, pointing with a shaking finger up at the monster.
It was an Aerodactyl. A real, flesh-and-blood, honest-to-Arceus Aerodactyl.
Thrin shrieked aloud at the sight of the prehistoric menace. Not even noticing them, the Rock-and-Flying-type responded with a shriek of its own, a primordial sound that tore through the air and shook the siblings to their very cores. It turned tail and soared leisurely off, its arrow-headed tail trailing behind it and its wings occasionally slashing downwards in a powerful stroke.
Together, the Gurei siblings slowly turned their heads to look at each other. Both of them had turned white.
"This is a dream," Thrin whispered.
"This is a nightmare," Volan corrected her. "Who would have thought that the portal would take us back to the distant past? We're in a time when humans didn't even exist."
They gazed around in shock at their surroundings, taking everything in with a new understanding. The pure air and water, the prehistoric-looking trees, the unusual landscape… it all made sense now. Everything was so unfamiliar to them because they weren't even in their correct era!
It was as if nature had been waiting for them to discover that Aerodactyl, because all of a sudden, prehistoric Pokemon began to appear from all over the place. A brutish turtle-like Pokemon lumbered out of the water and onto the beach with a roar. Small, yellow fliers beat their leathern wings rapidly, squeaking shrilly as they flew overhead. A much bigger version of those little flying reptiles stood on the banks of the lake, spearing fish with its tail and roasting its catches with a burst of electricity. A herd of titanic, lumbering Pokemon with long necks and conifer trees growing on their backs plodded past them, gazing down at them with idle curiosity. A shield-faced quadruped took a drink of water from the far end of the lake, only to be ambushed by a terrible serpent-necked sea monster.
"Wh… What… What are all these Pokemon?!" gulped Thrin.
Volan was frantically flipping through his book. Its title was The Good Old Days: When Primordial Pokemon Stalked the Land. It was dedicated entirely to paleontology and the natural history of Unova. He only read it for fun, not because he thought he'd ever need it as a field guide.
He pointed to the turtle-like brute, now digging a hole in the sand with its flippers in order to lay its eggs. "That's a Carracosta," he said.
Then he turned to another page and indicated the flock of little pterosaur-like Pokemon. "Those are Zaptera."
Volan turned his gaze to the large flier that was now scooping fried fish into its beak with great gusto. "That one's a Pteravolt, the evolved form of Zaptera."
The throaty bellow of one of the long-necked, tree-backed Pokemon broke through the sky and scattered the Zaptera. Volan was unfazed as he continued, "Those giants are Pinepato, the largest Pokemon to ever live."
Finally he turned to the shield-faced Pokemon and the sea serpent, which had a tight grip on its leg, locked in a fierce struggle for survival. "And those two are a Bastiodon and a Serphossil."
Shaking her head slowly, Thrin was unable to believe that any of this was happening. It was like something out of a nature documentary, or a science fiction movie, or some twisted combination of the two.
"We have to get out of here," she decided, already backing away from the lake. "Screw Team Plasma! We'll get killed standing out here! Killed and eaten!"
Volan put his book away and hoisted his backpack back onto his shoulders. Bernice immediately fluttered back to her perch, eager to get away from this place and the terrifying Pokemon that inhabited it. He stepped away from what he now recognized as the shed skin of an Anorith.
"You're right," he muttered, his eyes wide and his brain trying to process the information that they were giving it. "We're going back to our own time, where we belong. This place… this place isn't meant for humans."
He was a little reluctant to say that. After all, he had always wanted to see all of these terrible-yet-magnificent Pokemon in real life, with the skin and the organs all still attached to the skeletons.
With that, Volan and Thrin walked away from the beach at a brisk, frantic pace. Neither was willing to run, but they were perfectly alright with walking very, very fast. In fact, so focused were they on getting back to the portal and the Relic Castle, that they didn't hear the beating of leathery wings behind them until it was much too late.
"KRRRRRRAAAAAWWWW!"
An Aerodactyl – there was no way to tell if it was the same one from before – swooped down from out of the yonder and threw out its claws. In only an instant, it had smacked Volan aside with its tail and grabbed Thrin. With another sky-shattering screech, it pushed off from the ground and soared back into the air, climbing higher and heading in the direction of the mountain from which the Gureis had come.
Thrin's scream grew fainter and fainter as the Aerodactyl carried her away to who knows where. Volan lay there on the grass, the wind driven from his lungs and helpless to do anything but watch as his sister and her captor became nothing more than a grey speck in the distance.
Behind him, the Pinepato herd, startled at the sudden appearance of the flying predator, bellowed in alarm and lashed their tails instinctively. The racket startled the feeding Pteravolt, who took to the skies with a single stroke of its brilliant yellow wings. The Serphossil retreated into the water, leaving its Bastiodon prey with a nasty bite mark in its leg.
"Trrrranquill, Trrrranquill!" squawked Bernice, waving her wings frantically. She tugged on his shirt with her talons, trying to get him to stand back up. "Get up! Get up, Master Volan!"
The rush of wind that occurred as the Pteravolt soared over him snapped him out of his paralysis. Volan scrambled to his feet, ignoring the dizziness that came with such an action, and ran desperately toward the mountain. Bernice followed him closely, just as desperate. But they weren't heading for the portal. That was the last thing on their minds.
Volan was going to save Thrin from becoming Pokemon food, or die trying.
-.-.-.-.-.
100 Million Years Later
Blissfully unaware of the fate of the Gurei siblings – and possibly Team Plasma – Will and Professor Scatterly valiantly defended themselves against the pair of Cofagrigus that had attacked them. Victini and Sigilyph fought alongside them with all of their strength, unwilling to see the two humans get eaten and turned into miserable Yamask.
"Golett, good sir! Use Shadow Punch!" cried Professor Scatterly.
"Golett," droned the Ground-and-Ghost-type, its fist blazing with purple-black energy as it charged forward at one of the Cofagrigus.
"Quip, Ice Fang!" yelled Will.
"Toto!" rasped Quip, his fangs becoming sheathed in ice even as he followed Golett into battle.
Both attacks struck home – the Shadow Punch into the first sarcophagus' midsection, and the Ice Fang into the other's cranium. But suddenly, at the same time the pair of malicious Ghost-types reeled in pain, a shadowy aura faded into existence around Quip and Golett, vanishing again in the blink of an eye.
"Oh dear!" exclaimed Professor Scatterly. "That was the Cofagrigus' Mummy ability! Yes, quite so."
Will gritted his teeth and prepared to give Quip another command. But both of the sarcophagi lashed out with Will-O-Wisp, hurling their Pokemon away from them.
I just hope Volan and Thrin are faring better than we are!
-.-.-.-.-.
Oh snap! Volan and Thrin have been transported back to prehistoric times! Will they be able to escape this savage realm with their lives? And what about Team Plasma, and the folks still trapped in the Relic Castle?
Oh yes, and that Yamask has officially joined Thrin's team under the name of Jet. That's one shred of good news, at least.
Make sure to check out my DeviantArt page for pictures of some of the prehistoric Pokemon that appear in this chapter! My user on DeviantArt is Cm25. (I've recently updated the picture of Zaptera and Pteravolt so it looks decent.)
Thrin: "Someone save me! And please review…" *voice fades into the distance*
Chapter Question #35: Do you like how I introduced new Pokemon into this chapter? The fossil record in real life is very incomplete, after all, so it stands to reason that there are lots of undiscovered prehistoric Pokemon as well.
-.-.-.-.-.
Volan's Party:
Bernice (Tranquill, female)
Ability: Big Pecks
Attacks: Air Cutter, Roost, Aerial Ace, Hypnosis
Grunge (Garbodor, male)
Ability: Weak Armor
Attacks: Pound, Body Slam, Poison Gas, Solarbeam
Rickie (Palpitoad, male)
Ability: Hydration
Attacks: Bubblebeam, Uproar, Rain Dance, Mud Shot
Rudy (Sandile, male)
Ability: Moxie
Attacks: Thunder Fang, Crunch, Sand Tomb, Dig
Thrin's Party:
Oliver (Pignite, male)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flame Charge, Tail Whip, Body Slam, Arm Thrust
Luna (Munna, female)
Ability: Synchronize
Attacks: Psywave, Defense Curl, Moonlight, Psybeam
Valkyrie (Venipede, female)
Ability: Poison Point
Attacks: Rollout, Protect, Poison Tail, Attract
Jet (Yamask, male)
Ability: Mummy
Attacks: Hex, Will-O-Wisp, Night Shade, Nasty Plot
