Tongues of lightning licked the stormy skies, as both Mistral and Eric ran
for shelter from the fierce storm raging over their heads. The rain was
atrocious, and it came down in sheets, drenching both of them to the bone
in relatively little time. Hadn't the weatherman said the rain was going to
be sparce? A few other trainers just like them were also running for
shelter from the pouring rain. Luckily, at the very southern edge of the
route, there was a Pokemon Center, probably erected for weary travellers,
or perhaps for the scientists camped at the Ruins of Alph.
It didn't matter who it was for, but it was open to everyone, and alot of people were grateful for that. The doors to the Pokemon Center swished open as they approached, allowing them entrance into the warm sanctuary. The Chansey of the center was giving out warm towels to those that were coming in, and both Mistral and Eric accepted them gratefully. The few trainers that were inside were not only drenched, but were conversing about the days events. Probably to take their mind off the pouring rain.
Eric and Mistral took a seat at one of the tables set up with soft cushions instead of chairs, using the towels to dry their hair and clothes off.
"That storm popped up pretty suddenly," Mistral commented, moving the towel away from her hair. She looked like she had been shocked by a Pichu, as her hair was now flying in every direction. Eric couldn't help but laugh. "I mean, there wasn't a cloud in the sky until we started hunting for Pokemon.."
"Yeah. Well, some things can't be helped. We'll just wait here until the storm subsides, then head for the Ruins of Alph, cut through, and go through Union Cave. Then we should be in Azalea Town in no time," Eric shrugged, using the towel in a vain attempt to dry off his shirt. The Nurse Joy of the center stepped over to them, kneeling down next to their table. "Do either of you have any injured Pokemon? This storm doesen't show signs of letting up anytime soon."
Eric pulled out the three Pokemon he had used against Falkner, and handed them over to Joy, while Mistral handed over her Cyndaquil, which she had used to knock out a Hoppip they had found earlier, basking in the sun beneath the tall grasses. Eric had to point out that the Pokeball wasn't working, because the Pokemon was knocked out.
Nurse Joy smiled at the two, and shuffled off, Pokeballs in hand. "So," Eric smiled, trying to start conversation. "We can always find another Hoppip, if you're so eager for a Grass Pokemon."
"Yup. Mind if I see your Pokedex for a moment?" Mistral inquired, holding out her hand. With a shrug, he pulled out his Pokedex, placing it into her hand. She opened it up, and pressed a few buttons, obviously looking up information on Hoppip and their evolutionary line.. he could tell because she was studying their cries, and the Pokedex chimed out the entry for them whenever she asked it to.
"Whadda storm, ya?" a voice chimed happily to Eric's left. A quick glance revealed that a junior trainer had moved over to them, and sat down. "Ya. We don't get storms like this over in Hoenn."
This peaked Eric's interest. His eyes wandered from Mistral (who was still toying with the Pokedex), to the junior trainer. He was still relatively soaked, but he had a bug net strapped to his back. "You're from Hoenn?"
"Ya! You been there before? There are tons of new Pokemon here," the junior trainer smiled up at him. "Daddy says he can hardly buy enough Pokeballs for all the Pokemon I keep catching, hehe."
"No. I've never.. been there before. Planning on it after I conquer Johto and Kanto," Eric replied, looking back over at Mistral. "Things are just going a bit slow. Rainstorms tend to slow down the badge earning process.."
The junior trainer perked up at the thought of conversation. "Ha! You sound confident in yourself, ya. Daddy says to be more confident in myself and my Pokemon. I lose lotsa battles out here, but I don't mind."
"That's the spirit, though. Confidence," Mistral called over the Pokedex, smiling down at the red piece of plastic, as if it would convey her smile towards the smaller trainer. "Confidence in your abilities. I'm sure you have some kind of advantage, anyways, with all the Pokemon you have from Hoenn."
"Ya. I scare most of the trainers I fight, hehe."
"Why's that?" Eric inquired, leaning his elbow on the table, resting his chin upon it. His eyes wandered over to the junior trainer, waiting for the answer. The junior trainer gave a smile up at him, and pulled out a Pokeball. "Lairon. No one expects him. He's my favorite."
As soon as the junior trainer mentioned Lairon, Mistral moved from her Hoppip evolution study, to the Lairon. ~"Lairon, a steel-rock Pokemon. Said to be a different branch of the Rhyhorn evolution line, these Pokemon can last a long time in battle, with its thick metal armor."~
"I can see why," Mistral looked up, smiling. "So, what's your name, anyways, little guy?"
"You can call me Edd," the trainer smiled again. "I don't have many friends, so I wander around with my daddy, and catch all sorts of Pokemon. I make alot of trainers jealous."
"By catching all kinds of different Pokemon?" Eric questioned, glancing over at Edd. "Or by having so many?"
Edd shrugged, rolling the Pokeball around on the table. "Daddy took me to Victory Road once, and he helped me catch all sorts of high level Pokemon. I have a Kadabra, but he doesen't like listening to me."
"Wow. A Kadabra, huh?" Mistral looked down at the Pokedex, pressing a few buttons. ~"Kadabra, a psychic Pokemon. One of the strongest psychics, the alpha waves it emits can sometimes cause the weak minded headaches."~ "Sounds powerful to me. Why doesen't he follow your orders?"
"Daddy says it's because I don't have a strong will, but I looked up information. It's because I don't have the right badges, that's why," Edd responded, shrugging again. "But it might be both."
Lightning cracked through the forest not too far away, causing most of the trainers to jump in surprise, as the thunder crashed over the Pokemon Center. "Phew. That was pretty close.." Eric muttered, glancing out over the forest. Movement caught the corner of his eye, and he quickly turned to see if he could find what it was.. but no luck. "Did you guys just see something move out in the forest?"
"I wouldn't worry about it too much. I bet it was a Growlithe or something," Mistral answered, sliding the Pokedex back over to Eric. He scooped it up, and pocketed it, looking back over at the forest, where he had seen the movement.. again, something streaked past his eyesight.
"There it was again! I'm telling you, that's no Growlithe. It's more like an Arcanine," Eric muttered, slowly making his way to a stand. Lightning struck once more, this time closer, and the rain got even heavier. As the rumbling subsided, two large forms crept slowly from the brush at the edge of the forest, watching the Pokemon Center. Eric slowly got to his feet, pressing himself against the windows that lined near the door to the center to get a better look. "What kind of Pokemon is that?"
The two Pokemon glanced at each other. One was a brilliant yellow, with black stripes covering its body. It had a white mane, and a large tuft of purple hair growing out of its neck. The second stood slightly higher than the other, and shone in what little light there was issuing from the clouds, and from the lightning. It had longer purple hair issuring from its back, and seemed to be followed by strands of blue cloth. Unlike the yellow Pokemon, the blue one didn't have fangs.
"Aiyah! Wouldja look at that, ya?! Legendary Pokemon!" Edd chimed, moving up next to Eric, pressing his face against the glass. "Out in public! Who woulda thought?!"
"Which Pokemon are they? Aren't there supposed to be alot of Legendary Pokemon?" Mistral asked, moving up next to them as well. The two Pokemon seemed ready to dart back into the bushes, but Eric moved as quick as he could to get his Pokedex out, and point it at the two Pokemon on the outskirts of the forest.
"Only a handful," Edd commented, looking up at the Pokedex. "No-one's been able to catch a Legendary Pokemon.."
~"Suicune, a Legendary Pokemon. Legend has it that whenever Suicune is in the area, a violent rainstorm or hailstorm rages. Very few have viewed this Pokemon for long."~
"Suicune! Wow!" Mistral chimed, glittery eyed. The Suicune retreated into the bushes. Eric quickly pointed the Pokedex at the first Pokemon. ~"Raikou, a Legendary Pokemon. It's said that the area around this Pokemon is inhabited by static electricity, but no-one has seen it long enough to tell."~
"I had heard legends of Suicune, but I can't say i've heard a thing about Raikou," Mistral sighed, sitting on the table behind her, as the Pokemon retreated into the brush. Like a rocket, the Raikou was gone from sight, even through the trees. No sooner than had the Pokemon retreated into the forest, than the rainclouds disappeared, causing the sunlight to cover the now-wet ground. "Isan't there supposed to be a third?"
Eric gave a shrug, looking down at the Pokedex. "I dunno. But i've got the information on the two.. and it looks like this thing is keeping track of where they're going.. man, they're fast. They've already passed Azalea.."
"You're that rogue trainer, ya?" Edd inquired, tugging on Eric's still wet shirt. "If I were you, i'd be more careful about where you keep that Pokedex. If it gets taken back, they'll either erase the data, or use it to track them and capture them."
The door swooshed open, as Eric stepped outside, moving towards the bushes where the two Legendary Pokemon appeared. Mistral and Edd followed closely, stopping as he knelt over, looking at the brush. One was covered in ice, and the other, the leaves were black. "Yeah.. I'll remember that.."
------
"The Ruins of Alph have been roped off to all public entrance. Too many people have been capturing the Unown inside, and we have decided that if we want to pursue our scientific research, we must rope off the Ruins to all public entry! We're sorry for this inconvenience! If you're looking for a Psychic Pokemon, try checking the grasses to the south. Natu are abundant there!" the scientist announced, pushing his glasses up his nose. He quickly pulled out some police tape, and taped a few strands over the main entrance to the ruins. The trainers outside groaned in disappointment, and went off in all sorts of different directions.
"What a bummer, ya?" Edd chuckled, pulling his bug net off his back. A Ledyba buzzed past, and he took a quick swipe at it. It turned, stuck out its tongue, and buzzed off into the nearby trees. "I'm sure there are other ways to get in."
Mistral looked to the south.. a few trainers had taken the advice of the scientists, and were battling the Natu in the tall grasses. The Natu seemed to be winning. "We'd need a Pokemon that could Surf, though."
"Naw. My Daddy took me to see this really weird lookin' picture in this small cave nearby," Edd shrugged, walking off towards the north. "Hey. Wait a second.. cave? Take us to it," Eric demanded, jogging to catch up to Edd. Mistral soon followed.
"Alright. But only if you give me a Potion," Edd bargained, grinning up at the two. With a grumble, Eric retrieved his backpack off his back, and pulled out a potion, handing it over to the smaller trainer. "Alright. Let's go!"
-----
The entrance to the cave had been covered in tape, much like the scientists had done before, but they had missed a spot large enough for the casual trainer to slide right under. All three trainers slithered underneath, much to the alarm of the Weedle which had taken refuge inside. It let out a hiss, and crawled off behind the large picture in the middle of the room. While Mistral and Eric ignored it, Edd took off after it, bug net swinging. The Weedle let out a louder hiss, and took off, rushing around the room to avoid being swept up into the net.
"What the heck is it supposed to be?" Mistral asked, craning her neck towards the picture. "I can't make it out."
Both trainers stared at the picture for a good long while, until Edd came stepping up to them, Weedle successfully caught in the net. It hissed wildly, not enjoying its capture, and flailed around to try to escape the net. It only caught itself in the net more. "It's a Kabuto."
"A what?" Mistral asked, glancing down at Edd.
"A Kabuto. It's an old Pokemon, only recently being revived from fossils. My daddy was pretty smart to figure out what it was. But I don't see it," Edd replied, shrugging. Eric stepped forward towards the picture, and put a hand on the tile. He let out a grunt, and slowly, the tile began to move in the direction he was pulling.
Both Mistral and Edd watched in amazement as Eric slid the pieces around on the puzzle, until, after what seemed like an hour, the last piece of the puzzle was put into its rightful place. A loud click rang out through the small cave, but nothing interesting happened.
"No, no. You mixed these pieces up," Edd corrected him, moving two pieces, with some trouble, until they traded places. Another loud click rang through the cave again, but, again, nothing happened. "Hmm.. something has got to happen.."
As the three trainers sunk into thought, the floor panel beneath them gave way, causing them to fall into a chamber below. The panel quickly replaced itself, shutting the trainers in the dark, forcing them to stand, rubbing whatever spots that had taken the fall. Edd was the first up.
"Shroomish, go!" Edd yelled, and the sound of a Pokeball hitting the stone floor sounded, and the room filled with a bright red light, which soon died. "Shroomish, use Flash."
As the order was given, the Shroomish shook, a soft glow emitting from the small Pokemon. It soon glowed brighter, giving the trainers a good look at the surrounding area.. hieroglyphics of what were supposed to be Unown lined the wall of the room around them, and there seemed to be hundreds of shapes to them. "I don't like this place," Mistral shivered. She had good reason to.. it was quite cold as compared to the cave above them, and even with the light, the staring hieroglyphics had her on edge. "Can we please find a way out of here?"
"Seems like there's a hall here.. let's follow it," Eric commanded, stepping past the Shroomish. The Shroomish, with its hasty nature, let out a grunt, and rushed past him, insisting on leading the pack. The hall seemed to stretch on forever, and the hieroglyphics got more and more abundant. "Hey. Look. Looks like a chamber here.."
Indeed, there was a chamber. Light filtered in from a hole above their heads, causing the Shroomish to reduce the light it had eminating from its body as they entered the chamber. Large carved steps lead up to what looked like a shrine, but there didn't seem to be a way out. Mistral seemed nerved by this, and kept looking back at the door they had entered, as if it might close at any second. Both Edd and Eric climbed the large stone steps, to the shrine at the top.
"Look, there's a little door here," Edd muttered, opening it with his hand. The Weedle finally got itself free from the net, and climbed down Edd's back, rushing off towards the door as fast as it could go. Edd reached his small arm inside, and bite his lip in concentration. "I feel something in here.. feels like a rock.. might be a moon stone.."
"Moon Stone?" Eric inquired, looking down at Mistral. She still seemed nerved, but rooted to her spot. Edd finally retreated his arm from the shrine, producing a silver rock. He looked disappointed, handing the rock over to Eric, who looked it over. "I was hoping it would be a Moon Stone. I wanted one so I could evolve my Skitty.."
Eric shrugged, and pocketed the silver rock, closing the little door on the shrine. "Well, I think that wraps it up, then. Let's go back and-"
At that moment, the door they had entered slowly slid down from the top, closing them into the large chamber. "Find a way out.."
Mistral fell to her knees, and began crying loudly, prompting Eric to move down the carved steps, kneeling down next to her to comfort her. "Shush, shush.. I can probably get my Pidgeotto to fly us out of here, so you can stop crying.."
"Eric.. You might wanna see this, ya," Edd called, his voice shaking. Both Eric and Mistral, who was teary eyed, looked up at what Edd was pointing at. One by one, small black forms filed in through the hole in the top of the chamber. They each had a big eye, with a big black pupil.. Eric recognized them as the Unown, depicted in the hieroglyphics. He kept count of how many filed into the chamber.. 26.
"You have trespassed on sacred grounds, and have taken the Kings Rock," a voice echoed through their minds, causing Mistral to break down into sobs again. "In order to keep the Kings Rock, and leave this place alive, you must survive the gauntlet.."
Another door across the room slowly slid open, revealing an equally long hallway like the one they had just travelled down, winding off into darkness. "Enter now, or return the stone to its rightful place."
Eric slowly moved to a stand, brushing the dust off his jeans. "I accept the challenge.."
"Then you must all work together to overcome the obstacles that await you, or you will surely perish, like many trainers before you," the voice echoed through their minds again, causing Mistral to break into hysterical, racking sobs. Eric kneeled down again, rubbing her back, trying to comfort her.
"J-just give them back the stone! I wanna get outta here, I wanna go h- home!" Mistral screamed, returning to her sobs. "T-that stone.. it's the key to its evolution."
Eric pulled out the stone again, and looked it over. It seemed like a rock that had been painted silver. "Key to what evolution?"
"S-slowking," Mistral sobbed again, trying to brush the tears out of her eyes. "It's not worth it. I don't want to die, we can't take this challenge.."
"Then return the stone to its rightful place," the voice echoed again.
"No! C'mon, we can get out of here if we just work together. We can take the challenges one at a time, and if we can't pass an obstacle, I promise we'll come back and return the stone so we can get out of here, okay, guys?" Eric looked up towards Edd, who had climbed down the carved steps.
Edd shrugged, smiling. "I'm all for it."
"C'mon, Mistral," Eric muttered, trying to calm her sobbing. "We can do this.."
Mistral looked up at him, her face red from crying, her cheeks still wet from her own tears. "Okay.. if it's for you.. if it'll make you happy.. i'll try my hardest."
"Then enter the chamber, and the gauntlet will begin."
-----
End Chapter 7
It didn't matter who it was for, but it was open to everyone, and alot of people were grateful for that. The doors to the Pokemon Center swished open as they approached, allowing them entrance into the warm sanctuary. The Chansey of the center was giving out warm towels to those that were coming in, and both Mistral and Eric accepted them gratefully. The few trainers that were inside were not only drenched, but were conversing about the days events. Probably to take their mind off the pouring rain.
Eric and Mistral took a seat at one of the tables set up with soft cushions instead of chairs, using the towels to dry their hair and clothes off.
"That storm popped up pretty suddenly," Mistral commented, moving the towel away from her hair. She looked like she had been shocked by a Pichu, as her hair was now flying in every direction. Eric couldn't help but laugh. "I mean, there wasn't a cloud in the sky until we started hunting for Pokemon.."
"Yeah. Well, some things can't be helped. We'll just wait here until the storm subsides, then head for the Ruins of Alph, cut through, and go through Union Cave. Then we should be in Azalea Town in no time," Eric shrugged, using the towel in a vain attempt to dry off his shirt. The Nurse Joy of the center stepped over to them, kneeling down next to their table. "Do either of you have any injured Pokemon? This storm doesen't show signs of letting up anytime soon."
Eric pulled out the three Pokemon he had used against Falkner, and handed them over to Joy, while Mistral handed over her Cyndaquil, which she had used to knock out a Hoppip they had found earlier, basking in the sun beneath the tall grasses. Eric had to point out that the Pokeball wasn't working, because the Pokemon was knocked out.
Nurse Joy smiled at the two, and shuffled off, Pokeballs in hand. "So," Eric smiled, trying to start conversation. "We can always find another Hoppip, if you're so eager for a Grass Pokemon."
"Yup. Mind if I see your Pokedex for a moment?" Mistral inquired, holding out her hand. With a shrug, he pulled out his Pokedex, placing it into her hand. She opened it up, and pressed a few buttons, obviously looking up information on Hoppip and their evolutionary line.. he could tell because she was studying their cries, and the Pokedex chimed out the entry for them whenever she asked it to.
"Whadda storm, ya?" a voice chimed happily to Eric's left. A quick glance revealed that a junior trainer had moved over to them, and sat down. "Ya. We don't get storms like this over in Hoenn."
This peaked Eric's interest. His eyes wandered from Mistral (who was still toying with the Pokedex), to the junior trainer. He was still relatively soaked, but he had a bug net strapped to his back. "You're from Hoenn?"
"Ya! You been there before? There are tons of new Pokemon here," the junior trainer smiled up at him. "Daddy says he can hardly buy enough Pokeballs for all the Pokemon I keep catching, hehe."
"No. I've never.. been there before. Planning on it after I conquer Johto and Kanto," Eric replied, looking back over at Mistral. "Things are just going a bit slow. Rainstorms tend to slow down the badge earning process.."
The junior trainer perked up at the thought of conversation. "Ha! You sound confident in yourself, ya. Daddy says to be more confident in myself and my Pokemon. I lose lotsa battles out here, but I don't mind."
"That's the spirit, though. Confidence," Mistral called over the Pokedex, smiling down at the red piece of plastic, as if it would convey her smile towards the smaller trainer. "Confidence in your abilities. I'm sure you have some kind of advantage, anyways, with all the Pokemon you have from Hoenn."
"Ya. I scare most of the trainers I fight, hehe."
"Why's that?" Eric inquired, leaning his elbow on the table, resting his chin upon it. His eyes wandered over to the junior trainer, waiting for the answer. The junior trainer gave a smile up at him, and pulled out a Pokeball. "Lairon. No one expects him. He's my favorite."
As soon as the junior trainer mentioned Lairon, Mistral moved from her Hoppip evolution study, to the Lairon. ~"Lairon, a steel-rock Pokemon. Said to be a different branch of the Rhyhorn evolution line, these Pokemon can last a long time in battle, with its thick metal armor."~
"I can see why," Mistral looked up, smiling. "So, what's your name, anyways, little guy?"
"You can call me Edd," the trainer smiled again. "I don't have many friends, so I wander around with my daddy, and catch all sorts of Pokemon. I make alot of trainers jealous."
"By catching all kinds of different Pokemon?" Eric questioned, glancing over at Edd. "Or by having so many?"
Edd shrugged, rolling the Pokeball around on the table. "Daddy took me to Victory Road once, and he helped me catch all sorts of high level Pokemon. I have a Kadabra, but he doesen't like listening to me."
"Wow. A Kadabra, huh?" Mistral looked down at the Pokedex, pressing a few buttons. ~"Kadabra, a psychic Pokemon. One of the strongest psychics, the alpha waves it emits can sometimes cause the weak minded headaches."~ "Sounds powerful to me. Why doesen't he follow your orders?"
"Daddy says it's because I don't have a strong will, but I looked up information. It's because I don't have the right badges, that's why," Edd responded, shrugging again. "But it might be both."
Lightning cracked through the forest not too far away, causing most of the trainers to jump in surprise, as the thunder crashed over the Pokemon Center. "Phew. That was pretty close.." Eric muttered, glancing out over the forest. Movement caught the corner of his eye, and he quickly turned to see if he could find what it was.. but no luck. "Did you guys just see something move out in the forest?"
"I wouldn't worry about it too much. I bet it was a Growlithe or something," Mistral answered, sliding the Pokedex back over to Eric. He scooped it up, and pocketed it, looking back over at the forest, where he had seen the movement.. again, something streaked past his eyesight.
"There it was again! I'm telling you, that's no Growlithe. It's more like an Arcanine," Eric muttered, slowly making his way to a stand. Lightning struck once more, this time closer, and the rain got even heavier. As the rumbling subsided, two large forms crept slowly from the brush at the edge of the forest, watching the Pokemon Center. Eric slowly got to his feet, pressing himself against the windows that lined near the door to the center to get a better look. "What kind of Pokemon is that?"
The two Pokemon glanced at each other. One was a brilliant yellow, with black stripes covering its body. It had a white mane, and a large tuft of purple hair growing out of its neck. The second stood slightly higher than the other, and shone in what little light there was issuing from the clouds, and from the lightning. It had longer purple hair issuring from its back, and seemed to be followed by strands of blue cloth. Unlike the yellow Pokemon, the blue one didn't have fangs.
"Aiyah! Wouldja look at that, ya?! Legendary Pokemon!" Edd chimed, moving up next to Eric, pressing his face against the glass. "Out in public! Who woulda thought?!"
"Which Pokemon are they? Aren't there supposed to be alot of Legendary Pokemon?" Mistral asked, moving up next to them as well. The two Pokemon seemed ready to dart back into the bushes, but Eric moved as quick as he could to get his Pokedex out, and point it at the two Pokemon on the outskirts of the forest.
"Only a handful," Edd commented, looking up at the Pokedex. "No-one's been able to catch a Legendary Pokemon.."
~"Suicune, a Legendary Pokemon. Legend has it that whenever Suicune is in the area, a violent rainstorm or hailstorm rages. Very few have viewed this Pokemon for long."~
"Suicune! Wow!" Mistral chimed, glittery eyed. The Suicune retreated into the bushes. Eric quickly pointed the Pokedex at the first Pokemon. ~"Raikou, a Legendary Pokemon. It's said that the area around this Pokemon is inhabited by static electricity, but no-one has seen it long enough to tell."~
"I had heard legends of Suicune, but I can't say i've heard a thing about Raikou," Mistral sighed, sitting on the table behind her, as the Pokemon retreated into the brush. Like a rocket, the Raikou was gone from sight, even through the trees. No sooner than had the Pokemon retreated into the forest, than the rainclouds disappeared, causing the sunlight to cover the now-wet ground. "Isan't there supposed to be a third?"
Eric gave a shrug, looking down at the Pokedex. "I dunno. But i've got the information on the two.. and it looks like this thing is keeping track of where they're going.. man, they're fast. They've already passed Azalea.."
"You're that rogue trainer, ya?" Edd inquired, tugging on Eric's still wet shirt. "If I were you, i'd be more careful about where you keep that Pokedex. If it gets taken back, they'll either erase the data, or use it to track them and capture them."
The door swooshed open, as Eric stepped outside, moving towards the bushes where the two Legendary Pokemon appeared. Mistral and Edd followed closely, stopping as he knelt over, looking at the brush. One was covered in ice, and the other, the leaves were black. "Yeah.. I'll remember that.."
------
"The Ruins of Alph have been roped off to all public entrance. Too many people have been capturing the Unown inside, and we have decided that if we want to pursue our scientific research, we must rope off the Ruins to all public entry! We're sorry for this inconvenience! If you're looking for a Psychic Pokemon, try checking the grasses to the south. Natu are abundant there!" the scientist announced, pushing his glasses up his nose. He quickly pulled out some police tape, and taped a few strands over the main entrance to the ruins. The trainers outside groaned in disappointment, and went off in all sorts of different directions.
"What a bummer, ya?" Edd chuckled, pulling his bug net off his back. A Ledyba buzzed past, and he took a quick swipe at it. It turned, stuck out its tongue, and buzzed off into the nearby trees. "I'm sure there are other ways to get in."
Mistral looked to the south.. a few trainers had taken the advice of the scientists, and were battling the Natu in the tall grasses. The Natu seemed to be winning. "We'd need a Pokemon that could Surf, though."
"Naw. My Daddy took me to see this really weird lookin' picture in this small cave nearby," Edd shrugged, walking off towards the north. "Hey. Wait a second.. cave? Take us to it," Eric demanded, jogging to catch up to Edd. Mistral soon followed.
"Alright. But only if you give me a Potion," Edd bargained, grinning up at the two. With a grumble, Eric retrieved his backpack off his back, and pulled out a potion, handing it over to the smaller trainer. "Alright. Let's go!"
-----
The entrance to the cave had been covered in tape, much like the scientists had done before, but they had missed a spot large enough for the casual trainer to slide right under. All three trainers slithered underneath, much to the alarm of the Weedle which had taken refuge inside. It let out a hiss, and crawled off behind the large picture in the middle of the room. While Mistral and Eric ignored it, Edd took off after it, bug net swinging. The Weedle let out a louder hiss, and took off, rushing around the room to avoid being swept up into the net.
"What the heck is it supposed to be?" Mistral asked, craning her neck towards the picture. "I can't make it out."
Both trainers stared at the picture for a good long while, until Edd came stepping up to them, Weedle successfully caught in the net. It hissed wildly, not enjoying its capture, and flailed around to try to escape the net. It only caught itself in the net more. "It's a Kabuto."
"A what?" Mistral asked, glancing down at Edd.
"A Kabuto. It's an old Pokemon, only recently being revived from fossils. My daddy was pretty smart to figure out what it was. But I don't see it," Edd replied, shrugging. Eric stepped forward towards the picture, and put a hand on the tile. He let out a grunt, and slowly, the tile began to move in the direction he was pulling.
Both Mistral and Edd watched in amazement as Eric slid the pieces around on the puzzle, until, after what seemed like an hour, the last piece of the puzzle was put into its rightful place. A loud click rang out through the small cave, but nothing interesting happened.
"No, no. You mixed these pieces up," Edd corrected him, moving two pieces, with some trouble, until they traded places. Another loud click rang through the cave again, but, again, nothing happened. "Hmm.. something has got to happen.."
As the three trainers sunk into thought, the floor panel beneath them gave way, causing them to fall into a chamber below. The panel quickly replaced itself, shutting the trainers in the dark, forcing them to stand, rubbing whatever spots that had taken the fall. Edd was the first up.
"Shroomish, go!" Edd yelled, and the sound of a Pokeball hitting the stone floor sounded, and the room filled with a bright red light, which soon died. "Shroomish, use Flash."
As the order was given, the Shroomish shook, a soft glow emitting from the small Pokemon. It soon glowed brighter, giving the trainers a good look at the surrounding area.. hieroglyphics of what were supposed to be Unown lined the wall of the room around them, and there seemed to be hundreds of shapes to them. "I don't like this place," Mistral shivered. She had good reason to.. it was quite cold as compared to the cave above them, and even with the light, the staring hieroglyphics had her on edge. "Can we please find a way out of here?"
"Seems like there's a hall here.. let's follow it," Eric commanded, stepping past the Shroomish. The Shroomish, with its hasty nature, let out a grunt, and rushed past him, insisting on leading the pack. The hall seemed to stretch on forever, and the hieroglyphics got more and more abundant. "Hey. Look. Looks like a chamber here.."
Indeed, there was a chamber. Light filtered in from a hole above their heads, causing the Shroomish to reduce the light it had eminating from its body as they entered the chamber. Large carved steps lead up to what looked like a shrine, but there didn't seem to be a way out. Mistral seemed nerved by this, and kept looking back at the door they had entered, as if it might close at any second. Both Edd and Eric climbed the large stone steps, to the shrine at the top.
"Look, there's a little door here," Edd muttered, opening it with his hand. The Weedle finally got itself free from the net, and climbed down Edd's back, rushing off towards the door as fast as it could go. Edd reached his small arm inside, and bite his lip in concentration. "I feel something in here.. feels like a rock.. might be a moon stone.."
"Moon Stone?" Eric inquired, looking down at Mistral. She still seemed nerved, but rooted to her spot. Edd finally retreated his arm from the shrine, producing a silver rock. He looked disappointed, handing the rock over to Eric, who looked it over. "I was hoping it would be a Moon Stone. I wanted one so I could evolve my Skitty.."
Eric shrugged, and pocketed the silver rock, closing the little door on the shrine. "Well, I think that wraps it up, then. Let's go back and-"
At that moment, the door they had entered slowly slid down from the top, closing them into the large chamber. "Find a way out.."
Mistral fell to her knees, and began crying loudly, prompting Eric to move down the carved steps, kneeling down next to her to comfort her. "Shush, shush.. I can probably get my Pidgeotto to fly us out of here, so you can stop crying.."
"Eric.. You might wanna see this, ya," Edd called, his voice shaking. Both Eric and Mistral, who was teary eyed, looked up at what Edd was pointing at. One by one, small black forms filed in through the hole in the top of the chamber. They each had a big eye, with a big black pupil.. Eric recognized them as the Unown, depicted in the hieroglyphics. He kept count of how many filed into the chamber.. 26.
"You have trespassed on sacred grounds, and have taken the Kings Rock," a voice echoed through their minds, causing Mistral to break down into sobs again. "In order to keep the Kings Rock, and leave this place alive, you must survive the gauntlet.."
Another door across the room slowly slid open, revealing an equally long hallway like the one they had just travelled down, winding off into darkness. "Enter now, or return the stone to its rightful place."
Eric slowly moved to a stand, brushing the dust off his jeans. "I accept the challenge.."
"Then you must all work together to overcome the obstacles that await you, or you will surely perish, like many trainers before you," the voice echoed through their minds again, causing Mistral to break into hysterical, racking sobs. Eric kneeled down again, rubbing her back, trying to comfort her.
"J-just give them back the stone! I wanna get outta here, I wanna go h- home!" Mistral screamed, returning to her sobs. "T-that stone.. it's the key to its evolution."
Eric pulled out the stone again, and looked it over. It seemed like a rock that had been painted silver. "Key to what evolution?"
"S-slowking," Mistral sobbed again, trying to brush the tears out of her eyes. "It's not worth it. I don't want to die, we can't take this challenge.."
"Then return the stone to its rightful place," the voice echoed again.
"No! C'mon, we can get out of here if we just work together. We can take the challenges one at a time, and if we can't pass an obstacle, I promise we'll come back and return the stone so we can get out of here, okay, guys?" Eric looked up towards Edd, who had climbed down the carved steps.
Edd shrugged, smiling. "I'm all for it."
"C'mon, Mistral," Eric muttered, trying to calm her sobbing. "We can do this.."
Mistral looked up at him, her face red from crying, her cheeks still wet from her own tears. "Okay.. if it's for you.. if it'll make you happy.. i'll try my hardest."
"Then enter the chamber, and the gauntlet will begin."
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End Chapter 7