Disclaimer: Pokémon and its characters are not mine, but I do own this story.
A/N: Whew, I FINALLY managed to get this one posted. Annoying, really. I took a break from writing and when I decided to complete it and post it, the uploading feature had been disabled although it was still okay a few hours earlier. Then, I was delighted to find out that it was fixed, but the login was disabled. After that, I ran into some problems with my phone line and when I returned, the whole site was down…
Okay, enough of my ramblings. On with the story! Anyway, get ready for some slightly strange (depends on your PoV) storytelling. Not much happens in this chapter, but please read on nonetheless.
Ch. 5 – Revelation
"Urgh…" Ash mumbled, trying to get himself orientated. "I thought that the title only applied to the incident with the crazy Pokémon collector?"
The giant laughed. "You are mistaken. Chosen Ones are the people who have the ability to help rid the world of whatever threatens it, and also to change it for the better. Some Chosen Ones have only one task to perform during their lifetime, some have many. There are also times when centuries pass without the need for a Chosen One."
Ash stood up. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that they were standing inside a huge cavern, as high as three Onixes stretching upwards. How this place could fit in the mountain, he had no idea. "Oookay… so what weird mission task do I have to go on this time?" he inquired.
"Nothing," the giant replied, looking amused. "Anyway, please have a seat." He waved his hand. To the trio's amazement, three pieces of the rocky ground grew upwards and shaped themselves into crude chairs.
"Wow, how'd you do that?" Misty wondered, sitting down. Ash did the same, and Pikachu took the small chair in front of him.
The colossal man made a chair for himself. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Guardian of the Earth Shrine. You can call me Sakhr." He extended his hand. Misty shook it, slightly nervous. His hand felt as solid as rock. He also allowed little Togepi to shake his index finger. He then turned towards Ash, who held up his bandaged hand sheepishly, not shaking it.
Sakhr raised an eyebrow. "You should learn not to release your anger upon rocks." Misty and Pikachu laughed. He waved his hand again. This time, a pillar rose up from the ground, carrying a stone basin. The basin filled itself with what looked like bubbling mud. "Put your injured hand inside."
Ash removed the bandage and nervously dipped his hand inside, wondering if it's boiling. The liquid felt surprisingly cool and soothing. When he pulled it out, his hand looked as good as new. The pillar returned into the ground.
He was about to thank Sakhr when the whole place started to quake. The shaking rapidly grew more violent.
"What—" Misty was cut off by a loud explosion. Everyone brought their arms in front of their face to shield themselves from the flying debris.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"Make it double!"
The smoke cleared, revealing Jessie and James standing on a gaping hole at one side of the cave wall. The sky can be seen through it.
"To protect the world from
devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!" The red-haired Rocket
member leapt down onto the floor.
"James!" Her partner followed.
"Team Rocket blast off at the
speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, dat's right!" Meowth appeared out of nowhere, bringing along a strange-looking contraption.
Jessie immediately took command and looked straight at Sakhr. "All right, we are here to—"
"IT'S THE TWERPS!!!" James screamed when he noticed them standing behind the giant.
"What do you want this time?!" Ash demanded, stepping forward. The three Rocket members stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Y-you're not supposed to be here!" James said, pointing a trembling finger at them.
Jessie regained her composure and pushed him away. "As I was saying, we are here to get the Ancient Steelix. The boss told us to put off the Pikachu mission for a while, but we came prepared, just in case you showed up."
"Yeah, we'll be the bwoss's favourite when we bring him an extra package!" Meowth whipped out a remote control.
Ash opened his mouth to shout something, but Sakhr stopped him with his hand. "So, you want the Ancient Steelix?" The giant's voice was calm but still influential. "Very well, here it comes!"
A large part of the floor suddenly seemed to liquefy. A colossal steel snake rose from it as smoothly as though it was gliding through water. It stared down at the quivering Team Rocket with eyes full of wisdom and power.
Ash took out his Pokédex.
"Steelix, the steel snake Pokémon, the evolved form of Onix. Its body has been compressed deep underground. As a result, it is harder than diamond."
"That's not quite right…" Ash frowned. The picture on the Pokédex did not match what he saw above him. The Ancient Steelix did not have a segmented body, but a long, snake-like one which seemed a lot like liquid metal. It looked far more majestic and its face was less ugly. It also had a scythe-like horn was on its head where Onix's is, and a ring of symmetrical spiky protrusions of various length around its neck.
Several seconds of silence and Team Rocket's shaking passed before Jessie came to her senses. "FIRE!!! AND GET PIKACHU AS WELL!!!"
"Pikachu, stop them with your thunderbolt!" Ash instructed.
"CHUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!" Pikachu released a bolt of electricity at their machine.
"No you don't!" Jessie stepped in front of the bolt and held out an electric-proof shield. The bolt fizzled uselessly against it.
James had activated the machine and a red beam shot out, engulfing the surprised Steelix. It roared and tried to get away, but the beam was slowly pulling it into the machine like a slow-motion Pokéball. Meowth pointed the remote at Pikachu and pressed the button. A trap sprang out of the ground beneath Pikachu, enclosing him inside a container.
"NO!" Everyone cried. As for Team Rocket, they were laughing and dancing around gleefully.
Ash had a sudden brainwave.
"Go, Snorlax!" he threw the Pokéball high up and towards the laughing trio.
Snorlax materialized above them. They barely had time to scream before the 1014-pound Pokémon came crashing down on them, also crushing their Steelix trap in the process.
Ash calmly walked over to where Meowth's paw was sticking out. He snatched the remote from him and released Pikachu, who leapt up and hugged his trainer. Ash glanced towards Sakhr. The Guardian gave him a nod.
"Snorlax, return!" Ash recalled his snoozing Pokémon. The fall hadn't affected it at all. Team Rocket climbed out of the small crater.
"Alright twerp, you're going to pay for—"
Steelix's mighty tail came down and swept the trio out of the hole from which they had entered.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off agaaaaain…!"
Team Rocket landed on top of a tree. Their mangled machine crashed onto the ground and broke into multiple pieces.
"The bwoss ain't gonna like dis…" Meowth muttered. The other two merely sighed in defeat.
* * * * *
Some distance away, a man sat in the shadows, watching the viewscreen.
"The seed has been sown…"
* * * * *
"Breath of Earth!" Sahkr commanded. The Ancient Steelix opened its mouth and breathed out a brownish mist. The mist floated over to the hole and turned into part of the earth, filling it up. It was as if the hole never existed.
"Those three never learn," Misty said, shaking her head.
Ash was gazing at the steel snake in awe. "So the legend is real…"
"Yes, it is. But there is more to it than you currently know. I will tell you a story," Sakhr paused. "But I'm sure your other friend would also be very interested… should I bring him here?"
"Can you do that?" Misty asked.
Sakhr smiled and said nothing. He looked up at the ceiling. A long tube grew down from it until it nearly touched the floor. Quite soon, they heard a male scream and Brock unceremoniously slid out, crashing onto the floor. His Geodude followed and the tube retracted into the ceiling.
"Hi, Brocko!" Ash greeted him cheerfully.
Brock stared at Sakhr and the Ancient Steelix in fear. He tried to say something but his words came out incoherently. He managed after a few seconds. "Um… did I do something wrong?" He glanced at the Pokéball he held in his hand. "The ground beneath me just opened up as soon as I captured this rock Dugtrio…" The others laughed.
"No, you did nothing wrong, my friend. But the Dugtrio is one of my many children. Make sure you take good care of it." Sakhr told him good-naturedly. "I was just about to tell a story, and thought that you might like to join us."
Brock glanced at Ash, Misty and Pikachu. He felt slightly more at ease, seeing that they seemed calm enough. Another stone chair rose from the ground, and he was told to sit.
He did, but still looked at the others quizzically. Ash merely shrugged and told him that everything is fine.
"Uh… by the way, where's your jacket, Ash?" Brock asked, some edginess still clear in his voice.
"Long story," Ash and Misty said together, repeating Ash's earlier words. They looked at each other and laughed, while Brock and Pikachu smiled to themselves.
When they had calmed down, Sakhr closed his eyes and seemed to go into a trance. Everyone waited silently. Even Togepi was completely still, and so was the Ancient Steelix which still loomed above them.
Sakhr began his narration. The listeners too closed their eyes and let his resonant voice paint pictures in their minds.
"There are many worlds. Old ones die out, new ones take their place. Sometimes, an entire world is completely changed by the effects of others. Their natures are completely different from each other. Even I do not understand the other worlds, as I am of this one alone.
"This world was born a world of the unyielding element of Earth. It stayed completely tranquil for a long, long, immeasurable *time*. Nothing thrived in it, nothing disturbed it. But the tranquillity was perturbed when the wild, raging element of Fire invaded it. The Earth was calm and strong, and it managed to resist off the attempts of the Fire to change it. However, the Fire was persistent, and sought to take control.
"The Earth called upon the placid element of Water to assist it in holding back the wild Fire. The Water fought the Fire actively, rather than passively like the Earth. In the clash, the unpredictable element of Air was born. However, All was balanced. The elements were neither winning nor losing. This was the way things were for another long length of *time*.
"Then, the world as you now know it began to form. The Earth, original master of this world, held the others. It had successfully contained the violent Fire. The Water spread out and covered most of the Earth in order to suppress the Fire if it manages to break out. The Air merely lingered above the others, not getting involved with the conflict. The Earth extended parts of itself upwards into the realm of the Air to watch over it.
"Not long after that, the world shifted towards the formation of life and the Temples of the elements formed. One Guardian was assigned to each temple to control the elements and to oversee the development of the world. The Guardians were formless then. A new element surfaced: The element of Life.
"The first creatures emerged from the invigorating Water. With new beings in the world, the established total balance between the four elements was disturbed. The Air took in the ferocity of the Fire and thus the element of Electricity was formed. To compensate, the Water acquired the stillness of the Earth and produced the Ice. The Earth, needing to maintain control, strengthened itself and created the Rock.
"The creations of the element of Life began to spread out all over the world. There were only two different few species at first. Their energy type manifested themselves as elements: The Insect and the Plant. Then, the element of Life did more than give life. It created a new genus of beings. One of them, the basis for 70% of the other species, still lives, genetically unstable yet unchanged by the evolutionary forces. You humans call it 'Eevee'. The Life-forms absorbed the elements, and the creatures you call Pokémon emerged.
"The world has become an elemental world. Almost everything becomes an element here. Even the art of Fighting became one. Soon, the Dragons, the oldest beings of this multiverse, settlers of numerous worlds, were attracted by this world. A small part of them came over to inhabit it. A few nomadic beings followed and became the element of Ghost. With all the different types of energy, Psychic energy came about and was also manifested as an element.
"Alas, all the activity caught the attention of the invader of this multiverse, which in turn made its presence known in this world. The origins of Darkness cannot be traced, as even the mighty Dragons do not have the ability to transcend this cluster of worlds. The Darkness attempted to convert all the other elements to aid it in its conquest, but it had arrived at a time when the world is strong and unbending. It was unable to achieve its goal, but it managed to distort the most vulnerable of the High Elements: Water. As a result, the damaging element of Poison was formed.
"The Darkness also managed to manifest some of itself as an element, which was absorbed by the susceptible Eevee and passed on to the rest of the world. However, only the abilities were transferred. Nothing turned evil straight away, but a mark has been left.
"A species of Psychic creatures was stripped of their abilities. Not completely, some of the power still resides in them, but cannot be easily harnessed. They lost their ability to understand the other Pokémon as well
Sakhr's voice ceased. Ash and his friends opened their eyes and Togepi started looking around again.
"Is that it?" Ash asked, earning a whack from Misty.
Sakhr smiled. "The story continues. The next chapter has not been written yet, but will soon be."
"What about the steel element?" Brock inquired, looking up at the Ancient Steelix.
"Just the Earth strengthening itself some more. It's a recent addition, formed only several million years ago. But there's an even newer element which you've already come across in the Orange Islands. It's the marriage of Ice and Rock"
"The Crystal Onix!" Misty exclaimed.
Sakhr nodded. "There are already a few small crystal Pokémon living in that cave, hiding from the rest of the world for now. In a few more centuries, there should be many types all over, joining the others in the world."
"Tell us more about the temples," Misty requested. "And you also said that you are the guardian for the earth shrine. Are there any connections?"
Sakhr did not answer immediately. "Yes. The Temples were created to actively regulate the elements when the world was young. Now, the elements mostly regulate themselves, and our old duties were passed on to the Ice, hybrid of Water and Earth, and to the Lightning, hybrid of Air and Fire. However, the Fire still wanted to be involved, and we allowed it. The Fire has tamed considerably since its first appearance in this world. We still have an influence on the world, like the space-warping effects of this mountain, but it's lesser now. Therefore, we are now passive Shrines."
"Where are the other Shrines?" Ash asked excitedly. "I can't wait to visit them!"
The Guardian smiled sadly. "That, I am not allowed to tell you. I am bound by the rules of the Covenant. You will have to find them yourself, Chosen One."
"Well, in that case, tell us some more secrets about Pokémon!"
"Tomorrow, perhaps. It is not wise to tell you too much at once."
Ash looked disappointed, but decided to make use of the rest of the time. "Okay, then let's go do some more training! Care to join us this time, Brock?"
"Sure. Actually, I would've waited for you the first time if you weren't too busy trying to fill that bottomless pit you call your stomach."
"Hey!"
* * * * *
The Guardian watched the three of them walk out of the tunnel which then sealed itself behind them. He made the stone chairs sink down below the surface and sat on the floor, cross-legged. His eyes turned towards the steel snake which stayed completely still.
With one thought command, the illusion of the Ancient Steelix fades into nothingness.
Closing his eyes and folding his arms, the Guardian pondered about the disturbing escalation of the presence of Darkness. After a while, he gave a sigh.
And then, his body, too, faded into nothingness.
*********
Disclaimer 2: The story of the elements told by the character Sakhr is completely fictional. I will not be held responsible for any failed science exams.
A/N: So, whaddaya think? Anyway, it shouldn't be too hard to guess/know the location of ONE other Shrine. I've put quite a lot of clues (far more than I had originally planned, actually). However, 2+2 might not equal 4 in this case, but it doesn't really matter. Also, it just MIGHT be possible to guess the location of a second one. But as for the last Shrine, even I have no idea where to put it just yet.
Make a guess! Include it in your review ::hint, hint:: :-) I prefer it 99% review to 1% guessing game.
BTW, in case you got confused, I just feel that 'shrine' sounds more passive than 'temple', but I'm not completely sure if that's the way it's used. Also, Sakhr used different terms for some of the elements, and the element of Life is the Normal element.
Last thing, I think I'll wait until Monday to post chapter 6. Just to keep you in suspense. :-)
~Miss-Ashley: No, I don't mind. The more the merrier!