"What does it say?" asked Oddish, once they were in the room that night.
"Give me a second," said Tasha as she steadied her flashlight. She began to read, but abruptly stopped when she reached the bottom.
"What?" asked Oddish.
"This can't be!" she exclaimed. She quickly scanned the writings about the other rare birds. "No!"
"What?!" demanded Oddish.
" '...Moltres was lured out of its lair. In a battle against technology, Moltres was severely hurt. Taking advantage to this, the collector trapped the bird of fire. Hurting it more to make it weaker, he seized Moltres and imprisoned it. Moltres is hurt and ensnared. To be used solely as a jewel in the collector's zoo, Moltres has stopped eating, sinking into a depression because it cannot fly....'" Tasha trailed off. She had omitted the worst parts and still she couldn't finish.
"What?" asked Oddish, somewhat shocked and afraid.
"It says the same thing about Articuno and Zapdos," added Tasha. "I don't like this.....it can't be good. I need to get back. I can't stay here." Tasha turned and fled the ruins, Oddish right behind her.
Once outside Tasha leaned against the building, her breathing raged. She felt tears on her eyes, but held them back.
"Don't worry," Oddish tried to comfort her, "It was just a story."
"No, it is truth," she replied, "The ruins are alive, somehow. And it knows!" The charm on Tasha necklace had a black aura surrounding it. Tasha turned and went back to her tent. Oddish followed.
"What do you mean?" asked Oddish.
"I don't know," answered Tasha, "It is just that.....those pokemon in the legends mean something. Peace, harmony....those words keep coming up. Those pokemon are like mediators between all humans and pokemon. It has to do with trust. But everything has led to betrayal, and that is when people and pokemon get hurt. I don't quite understand, but what the collector is doing to the legendary birds is wrong, and someone is going to get hurt."
"It is just a story," insisted Oddish, "You said so yourself. How can the ruins know what is going on? The words have already been written. How can they be what's going on now?"
"I don't know," replied Tasha, "But I am afraid." They had made it back to the tent. Tasha laid down, but sleep was along way coming. The sun had begun to color the sky when she finally nodded off.
"Wake up," her dad nudged her, "It is noon. You already missed breakfast, I'm not going to let you sleep through lunch, too."
"What?" she asked groggily.
"It is the middle of the day," said her father, "I am beginning to think you are trying to sleep as much as Oddish."
"Dish!" protested Oddish as she struggled to her feet.
"Come on," said her dad. They left the tent and ate in silence.
"Tasha, I have a job for you to do," said her dad.
"What?" she asked as soon as she swallowed.
"Come on, I'll show you," he said. He led her to the ruins. His arms were full of papers and graphite. He led her to the room with the carvings of the legendary pokemon. Tasha shuddered as she entered.
"This is what I want you to do," he said, "Put a piece of paper to the wall and rub graphite over it. You will get a print of the picture and we will study them. I figured you would like this job, considering how much you enjoyed being in here the other day."
"Sure," said Tasha sheepishly. Here dad left her with the pile of blank paper.
"You don't look good," said Oddish.
"I don't want to be here. There is too much betrayal," replied Tasha.
"Then why didn't you tell your dad that?" asked Oddish. Tasha didn't answer. She had picked up a piece of paper and had walked over to the carving of Ho-Oh. She had just put the piece of paper to the wall when her charm began to glow again. Tasha felt her eyes drift to the script and she was reading it before she could stop herself.
"What?!" she exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" asked Oddish.
"This said that Ho-Oh was at Mt. Jarment yesterday, right?" asked Tasha, a haunted look in her eyes.
"Yeah," answered Oddish, "Why do you ask?"
"Because it now says that Ho-Oh is north of Blackthorn City," she replied.
"No way!" exclaimed Oddish, "Do you mean the letters changed?"
"Yes," said Tasha. She was shaking. "I don't like this."
"Did anything else change?" asked Oddish.
"Mew went higher up the mountain, and Entei went to the Lake of Rage," said Tasha as she quickly scanned the walls. "But Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres are still prisoners."
"How do you think the writing changed?" asked Oddish.
"I don't know," she replied. She began to do the rubbings like her dad had asked.
**************************************************************************
"That should be all I need," said the collector as he finished loading his helicopter. "I'll be in Egypt by the afternoon."
"Computer, download all data from the archaeologists who are studying the ruins. Be sure to include a map," he ordered as the helicopter took off.
"Downloading," the computer confirmed.
"Soon, they will all be mine," the man said as the helicopter made its way to the desert.
**************************************************************************
Tasha sat with her head down at the next meal. She was silent and lost in thought.
"What is wrong?" asked her dad when he noticed her solemn attitude.
"There is something weird with the ruins," she replied.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"The writing looks different than it did yesterday," she answered.
"You are probably just imagining it," said her dad. Tasha didn't say anything.
"If you don't want to go back, you don't have to," said her dad. "Stay outside. You can meet the other kids."
"I think I am going to lay down," she said as she stood. Tasha went back to the tent and threw herself on her air mattress.
"What's wrong?" asked Oddish.
"I am worried about Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres," she answered.
"But you've never seen them!" exclaimed Oddish.
"What happened to them is wrong," said Tasha.
"Then you should tell someone," suggested Oddish.
"No one would believe me. My own dad doesn't," replied Tasha. "I just need to sleep." She rolled over and closed her eyes.
"I think you should talk about it," said Oddish, but Tasha didn't reply.
**************************************************************************
"Is there only one entrance?" the collector asked to computer.
"One back entrance has been found, but the safety of it is questionable," replied the computer.
"It will be worth the risk," said the man, "Where is the data about the legends?" The computer pulled up pictures of the carvings that Tasha had studied.
"But was does it say about them?" the man asked.
"Still unknown. The ruins are written in an unfamiliar language which has yet to be translated," relied the computer.
"That is going to make it harder. But there still might be clues there," said the man. The helicopter had landed in the desert as the sun was setting. He was just out of sight of the Ruins of Alph.
"I'll enter at midnight, once everyone is asleep," he muttered to himself.
**************************************************************************
Late that night Tasha stirred in her sleep. This movement awoke Oddish.
"Are you awake Tasha?" asked Oddish. Tasha didn't reply, but she stood up. She was in her day clothes, considering she had fallen asleep in them. "Tasha!" exclaimed Oddish as she left the tent. "Wait!"
The two exited their tent and began to slip through the sleeping camp. Tasha seemed to be drawn somewhere. Her necklace was glowing with its black aura.
"Are you awake?" Oddish practically screamed.
"Hum? What? How?" asked Tasha as she snapped out of her trance.
"You were sleep walking," replied Oddish.
"Weird," she muttered, "I have this sudden urge to go to that chamber."
"Then grab a flashlight!" exclaimed Oddish.
"Hum? Sure, you worry too much," she replied as she picked one up off of the nearby table. The two friends entered the shadowy corridors of the ruins. Tasha's feet went on their own. They were soon in the room with the legendary carvings.
"What do you want here?" asked Oddish when they stopped.
"I don't know. Why did I come here?" asked Tasha
**************************************************************************
"It should be around here somewhere," muttered the man as he swung his flashlight through the dark passageways. He froze when he heard a noise. He proceeded more cautiously.
"They are all supposed to be asleep!" he exclaimed softly when he saw a light coming from a room up ahead. He slipped against the wall and peered in through the doorway. Inside was a young girl and an Oddish. They were talking.
"Yes, they are still prisoners," said the girl sadly.
"O-Oh-Di!" said the pokemon.
"I don't know," said the girl. "I don't see any changes." She swung her flashlight around the walls, illuminating the carvings.
"This is it! This is where their legends are!" thought the man excitedly.
"D-Dish?" asked Oddish.
"No, they are all in the same places they were this morning," the girl answered.
"Odd-Oddish," said the plant type.
"I don't know," she replied.
"It sounds like she actually understands her pokemon. Isn't that cute," the man thought.
"Oh-Odi," said Oddish.
"That is because I don't know! They say what they say! I only read them! And I don't even know how I do that!" exclaimed the girl, exasperated.
"Can she read the ruins? If she can, she would become invaluable to me," thought the man, and evil plan forming.
"Odd-dish," said the pokemon.
"OK," she replied and turned to the walls, "Entei is a very caring pokemon and will defend its friends and family to the death. Loyalty runs deep in this species, and even its illusion felt a strong sense of loyalty to a young human child...."
"She is reading them! This is perfect!" thought the man.
"......Lake of Rage, where it hides in solitude," she finished.
"Entei is at the Lake of Rage? If these ruins tell where my treasures are hiding, and she can read them...... I will get that information out of her," thought the man as he decided to put his plan into action. He turned his flashlight off, then slipped into the room.
"Oh-dish!" exclaimed the pokemon as neither noticed the stranger's presence.
"I'm tired, can't we just come back tomorrow," she said, turning to her friend.
The man lunged forward and grabbed her arm, twisting it back behind her and shoving it up her spine..
"AAAHHH!" she cried in pain and dropped her flashlight. It hit the ground, then when out.
"Oddish!" exclaimed the pokemon as she tried to help Tasha. But it was to dark to see anything.
"Hold still," ordered the man as Tasha kicked and screamed. Complete pandemonium ensued. Tasha was trying to struggle free as the man was trying to pull something out of his pocket. Oddish attempted to use Absorb on him, but he kicked the pokemon. Oddish hit the wall, hard, and was knocked unconscious. But this allowed Tasha to free her one arm.
She tried to make a break for it, but the man reached out and grabbed her wrist by sheer dumb luck. Tasha was almost pulled off of her feet as he jerked her back. He had pulled a small, damp cloth out of his pocket.
"Help!" screamed Tasha as she kicked into the darkness. Once, she did connect with his shin, but he didn't let go.
"I don't think so," he said, "You are going to help me." He grabbed Tasha by her hair and pulled her head back. She cried out in pain. He put the wet cloth over her nose and mouth. At first she struggled to break free. Then her body went limp as she became unconscious.
The man then turned on his flashlight. Tasha was laying on the floor and Oddish was against the wall. Both were unconscious. He quickly glanced at the carvings, greed filling his eyes.
"You will all be mine. I have the key now," he said. He picked up Tasha in a fireman's hold and left the ruins through the side entrance.
Frequently looking behind him to make sure he wasn't being followed the man snuck across the sand dunes. He put her in the back part of the helicopter, after tying her wrists together.
"Computer, home," he ordered before kicking his feet back.
**************************************************************************
"Give me a second," said Tasha as she steadied her flashlight. She began to read, but abruptly stopped when she reached the bottom.
"What?" asked Oddish.
"This can't be!" she exclaimed. She quickly scanned the writings about the other rare birds. "No!"
"What?!" demanded Oddish.
" '...Moltres was lured out of its lair. In a battle against technology, Moltres was severely hurt. Taking advantage to this, the collector trapped the bird of fire. Hurting it more to make it weaker, he seized Moltres and imprisoned it. Moltres is hurt and ensnared. To be used solely as a jewel in the collector's zoo, Moltres has stopped eating, sinking into a depression because it cannot fly....'" Tasha trailed off. She had omitted the worst parts and still she couldn't finish.
"What?" asked Oddish, somewhat shocked and afraid.
"It says the same thing about Articuno and Zapdos," added Tasha. "I don't like this.....it can't be good. I need to get back. I can't stay here." Tasha turned and fled the ruins, Oddish right behind her.
Once outside Tasha leaned against the building, her breathing raged. She felt tears on her eyes, but held them back.
"Don't worry," Oddish tried to comfort her, "It was just a story."
"No, it is truth," she replied, "The ruins are alive, somehow. And it knows!" The charm on Tasha necklace had a black aura surrounding it. Tasha turned and went back to her tent. Oddish followed.
"What do you mean?" asked Oddish.
"I don't know," answered Tasha, "It is just that.....those pokemon in the legends mean something. Peace, harmony....those words keep coming up. Those pokemon are like mediators between all humans and pokemon. It has to do with trust. But everything has led to betrayal, and that is when people and pokemon get hurt. I don't quite understand, but what the collector is doing to the legendary birds is wrong, and someone is going to get hurt."
"It is just a story," insisted Oddish, "You said so yourself. How can the ruins know what is going on? The words have already been written. How can they be what's going on now?"
"I don't know," replied Tasha, "But I am afraid." They had made it back to the tent. Tasha laid down, but sleep was along way coming. The sun had begun to color the sky when she finally nodded off.
"Wake up," her dad nudged her, "It is noon. You already missed breakfast, I'm not going to let you sleep through lunch, too."
"What?" she asked groggily.
"It is the middle of the day," said her father, "I am beginning to think you are trying to sleep as much as Oddish."
"Dish!" protested Oddish as she struggled to her feet.
"Come on," said her dad. They left the tent and ate in silence.
"Tasha, I have a job for you to do," said her dad.
"What?" she asked as soon as she swallowed.
"Come on, I'll show you," he said. He led her to the ruins. His arms were full of papers and graphite. He led her to the room with the carvings of the legendary pokemon. Tasha shuddered as she entered.
"This is what I want you to do," he said, "Put a piece of paper to the wall and rub graphite over it. You will get a print of the picture and we will study them. I figured you would like this job, considering how much you enjoyed being in here the other day."
"Sure," said Tasha sheepishly. Here dad left her with the pile of blank paper.
"You don't look good," said Oddish.
"I don't want to be here. There is too much betrayal," replied Tasha.
"Then why didn't you tell your dad that?" asked Oddish. Tasha didn't answer. She had picked up a piece of paper and had walked over to the carving of Ho-Oh. She had just put the piece of paper to the wall when her charm began to glow again. Tasha felt her eyes drift to the script and she was reading it before she could stop herself.
"What?!" she exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" asked Oddish.
"This said that Ho-Oh was at Mt. Jarment yesterday, right?" asked Tasha, a haunted look in her eyes.
"Yeah," answered Oddish, "Why do you ask?"
"Because it now says that Ho-Oh is north of Blackthorn City," she replied.
"No way!" exclaimed Oddish, "Do you mean the letters changed?"
"Yes," said Tasha. She was shaking. "I don't like this."
"Did anything else change?" asked Oddish.
"Mew went higher up the mountain, and Entei went to the Lake of Rage," said Tasha as she quickly scanned the walls. "But Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres are still prisoners."
"How do you think the writing changed?" asked Oddish.
"I don't know," she replied. She began to do the rubbings like her dad had asked.
**************************************************************************
"That should be all I need," said the collector as he finished loading his helicopter. "I'll be in Egypt by the afternoon."
"Computer, download all data from the archaeologists who are studying the ruins. Be sure to include a map," he ordered as the helicopter took off.
"Downloading," the computer confirmed.
"Soon, they will all be mine," the man said as the helicopter made its way to the desert.
**************************************************************************
Tasha sat with her head down at the next meal. She was silent and lost in thought.
"What is wrong?" asked her dad when he noticed her solemn attitude.
"There is something weird with the ruins," she replied.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"The writing looks different than it did yesterday," she answered.
"You are probably just imagining it," said her dad. Tasha didn't say anything.
"If you don't want to go back, you don't have to," said her dad. "Stay outside. You can meet the other kids."
"I think I am going to lay down," she said as she stood. Tasha went back to the tent and threw herself on her air mattress.
"What's wrong?" asked Oddish.
"I am worried about Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres," she answered.
"But you've never seen them!" exclaimed Oddish.
"What happened to them is wrong," said Tasha.
"Then you should tell someone," suggested Oddish.
"No one would believe me. My own dad doesn't," replied Tasha. "I just need to sleep." She rolled over and closed her eyes.
"I think you should talk about it," said Oddish, but Tasha didn't reply.
**************************************************************************
"Is there only one entrance?" the collector asked to computer.
"One back entrance has been found, but the safety of it is questionable," replied the computer.
"It will be worth the risk," said the man, "Where is the data about the legends?" The computer pulled up pictures of the carvings that Tasha had studied.
"But was does it say about them?" the man asked.
"Still unknown. The ruins are written in an unfamiliar language which has yet to be translated," relied the computer.
"That is going to make it harder. But there still might be clues there," said the man. The helicopter had landed in the desert as the sun was setting. He was just out of sight of the Ruins of Alph.
"I'll enter at midnight, once everyone is asleep," he muttered to himself.
**************************************************************************
Late that night Tasha stirred in her sleep. This movement awoke Oddish.
"Are you awake Tasha?" asked Oddish. Tasha didn't reply, but she stood up. She was in her day clothes, considering she had fallen asleep in them. "Tasha!" exclaimed Oddish as she left the tent. "Wait!"
The two exited their tent and began to slip through the sleeping camp. Tasha seemed to be drawn somewhere. Her necklace was glowing with its black aura.
"Are you awake?" Oddish practically screamed.
"Hum? What? How?" asked Tasha as she snapped out of her trance.
"You were sleep walking," replied Oddish.
"Weird," she muttered, "I have this sudden urge to go to that chamber."
"Then grab a flashlight!" exclaimed Oddish.
"Hum? Sure, you worry too much," she replied as she picked one up off of the nearby table. The two friends entered the shadowy corridors of the ruins. Tasha's feet went on their own. They were soon in the room with the legendary carvings.
"What do you want here?" asked Oddish when they stopped.
"I don't know. Why did I come here?" asked Tasha
**************************************************************************
"It should be around here somewhere," muttered the man as he swung his flashlight through the dark passageways. He froze when he heard a noise. He proceeded more cautiously.
"They are all supposed to be asleep!" he exclaimed softly when he saw a light coming from a room up ahead. He slipped against the wall and peered in through the doorway. Inside was a young girl and an Oddish. They were talking.
"Yes, they are still prisoners," said the girl sadly.
"O-Oh-Di!" said the pokemon.
"I don't know," said the girl. "I don't see any changes." She swung her flashlight around the walls, illuminating the carvings.
"This is it! This is where their legends are!" thought the man excitedly.
"D-Dish?" asked Oddish.
"No, they are all in the same places they were this morning," the girl answered.
"Odd-Oddish," said the plant type.
"I don't know," she replied.
"It sounds like she actually understands her pokemon. Isn't that cute," the man thought.
"Oh-Odi," said Oddish.
"That is because I don't know! They say what they say! I only read them! And I don't even know how I do that!" exclaimed the girl, exasperated.
"Can she read the ruins? If she can, she would become invaluable to me," thought the man, and evil plan forming.
"Odd-dish," said the pokemon.
"OK," she replied and turned to the walls, "Entei is a very caring pokemon and will defend its friends and family to the death. Loyalty runs deep in this species, and even its illusion felt a strong sense of loyalty to a young human child...."
"She is reading them! This is perfect!" thought the man.
"......Lake of Rage, where it hides in solitude," she finished.
"Entei is at the Lake of Rage? If these ruins tell where my treasures are hiding, and she can read them...... I will get that information out of her," thought the man as he decided to put his plan into action. He turned his flashlight off, then slipped into the room.
"Oh-dish!" exclaimed the pokemon as neither noticed the stranger's presence.
"I'm tired, can't we just come back tomorrow," she said, turning to her friend.
The man lunged forward and grabbed her arm, twisting it back behind her and shoving it up her spine..
"AAAHHH!" she cried in pain and dropped her flashlight. It hit the ground, then when out.
"Oddish!" exclaimed the pokemon as she tried to help Tasha. But it was to dark to see anything.
"Hold still," ordered the man as Tasha kicked and screamed. Complete pandemonium ensued. Tasha was trying to struggle free as the man was trying to pull something out of his pocket. Oddish attempted to use Absorb on him, but he kicked the pokemon. Oddish hit the wall, hard, and was knocked unconscious. But this allowed Tasha to free her one arm.
She tried to make a break for it, but the man reached out and grabbed her wrist by sheer dumb luck. Tasha was almost pulled off of her feet as he jerked her back. He had pulled a small, damp cloth out of his pocket.
"Help!" screamed Tasha as she kicked into the darkness. Once, she did connect with his shin, but he didn't let go.
"I don't think so," he said, "You are going to help me." He grabbed Tasha by her hair and pulled her head back. She cried out in pain. He put the wet cloth over her nose and mouth. At first she struggled to break free. Then her body went limp as she became unconscious.
The man then turned on his flashlight. Tasha was laying on the floor and Oddish was against the wall. Both were unconscious. He quickly glanced at the carvings, greed filling his eyes.
"You will all be mine. I have the key now," he said. He picked up Tasha in a fireman's hold and left the ruins through the side entrance.
Frequently looking behind him to make sure he wasn't being followed the man snuck across the sand dunes. He put her in the back part of the helicopter, after tying her wrists together.
"Computer, home," he ordered before kicking his feet back.
**************************************************************************