Hunter 2 Chapter 10: Ruined, a pokémon fanfic

Disclaimer: Welcome to the wonderful world that is Pokémon. Of course everything related to Pokémon is owned and licensed by Nintendo, and I'm sure the author of this story will do his best to treat Nintendo and Pokémon with as much respect as possible. Now, the characters in this story are all original except for professor Oak, Ash, Gary, Misty, Brock, several Jenny's and Joy's and some other weirdo's that wander around in the game and/or series and of course, the Pokémon.

Chapter 10 – Ruined

Normally I would go just outside Ilex Forest to train my pokémon, but after my recent adventures there, and since it was such a lovely day, I had gone to the National Park. I set on a bench, reading the newspaper while Warmonger, Blaster and Turtle were fighting all kinds of bug pokémon. Life is easy when you can trust your pokémon to stay out of trouble. But since they also considered it to be a lovely day, Blaster soon laid down in front of the bench, with Warmonger and Turtle next to me. I closed the paper and decided to just enjoy the surroundings and the nice weather. As I watched some joggers pass by, I heard a friendly voice addressing me.

"That's a big Blastoise!"

I looked up and saw a lovely brunette smiling as she admired Blaster's shell.

"Wow, you must have trained him a lot to get him so big," she told me.

"More luck than skill, I'm afraid," I had confess, "he found me actually."

"Well, it's still a magnificent pokémon," she complimented me as she sat down next to me, "I'm Stephanie."

"I'm Tony, pleased to meet you." I smiled, but that smile slightly froze when I saw her Persian lie down in front of her feet.

I know Persians are considered classy amongst the upper class, but I also knew that Persians where my father's most favoured pokémon, which made me kinda edgy.

"So, are you from Goldenrod?" she asked.

"Well, not originally," I told her, "but now I live there, yes."

"Really? Where are you from originally?" she enquired.

"Kanto, all around Kanto, actually. I moved a lot as a kid and lived in Viridian, Celadon, Fuchsia, Saffron, well practically everywhere."

Well, my father had residents in all those cities, so, technically I was right.

"Wow, must have been hard," she said.

I was about to fake it invoking sympathy when my cell phone rang.

"One moment please," I asked her as I answered my phone, "Hunter, how may I help you?… yes?… of course… yes, I know where that is… hm, that's normally not what I do but…well, let's say around… I have no idea, how rare is it? Hmm, what about 75 000? That's without other expenses, yes… Of course we can negotiate about the price, but I should warn you, it may rise as well… yes, of course, I understand… Right now? Very well, I'll see you in an hour… very well, see you there…"

I hung up the phone and called back my pokémon.

"I'm terribly sorry, Stephanie, but I'm afraid I'll have to leave you. It's a shame I have to work on such a lovely day, but that's what pays the rent."

"What is it exactly you do, if I may ask?" she asked me, while petting her Persian, "nothing illegal I hope?"

"No, of course, not," I assured her, "I catch wild pokémon for people who can't obtain them by all sorts of circumstances."

"That must be interesting work, I didn't even know something like that existed."

"It's a recent career choice," I told her as I left the park.

Too bad, she was quite a looker, but maybe I would see her again later on.

Forty five minutes later I parked my motorcycle at the visitor's parking of the Ruins of Alph. I entered the visitor's lobby and took out a leaflet concerning the ruins. According to the leaflet there the ruins were discovered about twenty years ago, and proved that there already existed pokémon while there were still ordinary animals around. The reason for these mutations is unknown, since some go back to the middle ages, when there wasn't even talk about radio-activity and other factors that might have jumpstarted the pokémon evolution. There was even once talk about a fossil dating from the ice age, but that was proven to be a forgery. But the ruins were the real thing, that was a fact. And because of that, a solid base for pokémon research. At least that's what the leaflet said. I had read it thoroughly and it was still some time before my schedule. Oh, fuck, what the hell?

"Excuse me," I asked the clerk behind the desk.

"Tickets are 250," he replied automatically, "150 for children under twelve."

"Actually, I'm here to see professor Calcium, I have an appointment."

"Oh," he said, "Mr. Hunter? You can go through and to the office at the right when you enter the ruins."

I found the office without any trouble and knocked on the door. A stern and loud voice told me to enter.

"Professor Calcium?" I asked as I pushed the door open.

A large man with a huge white beard looked at me under thick eyebrows with eyes that could shoot fire at appropriate times.

"That is me," he bellowed, "what can I do for you?"

"I'm Tony Hunter, I had an appointment with you."

"Ah yes, the pokémon hunter Clarence had called for. How do you do?"

"I'm fine, but what exactly is the reason I was sent for?"

"Ah," the professor grinned, "you cut right to the chase, excellent. Well, Mr. Hunter, if you'll follow me, I'll explain everything. Come along Clarence."

A skinny looking assistant with glasses almost bigger than his head, barely caught the clipboard Calcium had thrown to him and followed the professor. I was planning on going last, but Calcium called me closer.

"Stick around, young man, let's not waste time."

"What exactly is the problem?" I asked as I entered the elevator leading to the ruins.

"We've found a new site somewhere outside, but some blasted pokémon are in the way."

"Yes?" I urged on, still not clear on what my task was.

"We want you to get rid of them."

"Excuse me?"

"Clarence, you explain," Calcium shouted as the elevator opened and he disappeared into the underground ruins.

"Well, you see," Clarence started, "we've found a new site where we can dig, but it seems it's the natural habitat of Natu's. Professor Calcium wants them gone so we can dig there without any trouble."

"Aren't Natu's an endangered species?" I asked, raising a eyebrow.

"Uhm, yes," Clarence squirmed, "that's why he would appreciate it if you could do this without anyone knowing they were there."

Somehow I didn't think the dear professor would use the word appreciate.

"And why did you call me?" I asked.

"To be honest," Clarence sighed, "I didn't know who else to call. A friend of mine used your services once to catch a Vulpix and he said you were very resourceful. I thought you might find a way to relocate the Natu's, or maybe find a way even to evade this whole mess."

I looked at the assistant. It was clear to me he was scared to death of Calcium and I couldn't blame him. The good professor was very intimidating. I couldn't let him down. He had these puppy dog eyes that seemed to say "my mommy just got run over and I'm all alone in the world, won't you please take me home with you".

"Fine," I sighed, "I'll see what I can do."

"I'm sure Clarence has told you our problem?" Calcium asked loudly as I arrived at the new site.

Several Natu's flew up, frightened by the booming voice of the professor. He didn't need me to get rid of these birds, he just had to spend a whole afternoon there, and they would run from the sound of his voice! I bet if he whispered a deaf man would still be able to hear him.

"He has, but I have to tell you, this is no normal procedure for me. I therefore would appreciate it if your assistant could help me, to provide any information about the birds and the site as possible."

"What's to know about the site?" Calcium asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, Natu is a psychic pokémon and isn't known to be found anywhere else but near the ruins. Maybe there's a link."

"Yes, yes, you're right," Calcium frowned as he processed this, "Clarence, help him in any way you can. I'm going back to the office."

Clarence sighed relieved as Calcium entered the ruins again and turned to me.

"You really think there's a connection?"

"I have no idea," I replied as I fired up my laptop, "I just wanted to get him of your back."

"What are you doing?" Clarence asked.

"Trying to find as much as I can about Natu's. And could you please give me a short history about this place and why it hasn't been found before?"

"Oh, this should be in these papers somewhere," he said as he started rummaging through the papers on his clipboard, "ah here it is."

I took the papers, sat down in the grass and started reading.

"Anything else I can do for you?" Clarence asked.

"Hmm? Oh, you can get me a coke, if you like."

"Very well, I'll be right back."

With that the assistant entered the ruins and left me alone on the patch of land, next to the huge lake that surrounds the ruins.

"Something's not right," I sighed.

"I assure you, everything is there." Clarence told me.

"No, it's not that," I shook my head, "it's not that something's missing, it's just… I'm missing something. Something significant that I should be able to see."

I sighed again and looked up from the papers. I glanced over the lake and sighed again.

"It really is nice here," I said.

"Hmm?" Clarence looked up, "oh yes, now that you mention it, it is."

"You've never noticed it?"

"Oh, we're usually underground in the ruins," Clarence explained, "we don't really spend a lot of time up here."

"And the new site is again underground," I said as I looked at the cavern entrance.

"Oh yes, it always is."

I glanced back at the papers. There was something I couldn't place my finger on.

"This find, is it important?"

"Very!" Clarence told me, "a huge discovery in pokémon history. We could learn so much from it if we studied it."

"But you can't because of the birds," I continued, "I take it, since it's professor Calcium who wants me to get rid of the birds, "it's him that has found the fossil?"

"Fossils," Clarence corrected me, "there are about five of them. And yes, it is him that has found them."

"But the one that had researched the cavern before him," I consulted the notes, "William Heckburn? He didn't find anything."

"No, but William Heckburn is also an amateur. Archaeology is just a hobby to him."

"Could I see the fossils?"

"Uhm, why?" Clarence asked, "your concern is the birds, isn't it?"

"I told you, I'm missing something, and maybe those fossils can tell me what I miss. Besides, you were the one who said I was resourceful."

"Very well," Clarence nodded, "follow me."

The fossils were found somewhere in the back of the cavern, easily to be overlooked if you're not used to look for fossils. I gently caressed one of the fossils until Clarence noticed it.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, "Stop that, those things are very delicate!"

I held my hands up and apologised. In the light of Clarence his lantern I saw some white powder on my hand.

"You've never touched them, have you?" I asked.

"Of course not," Clarence shook his head, "we have to be very careful with them."

"How exactly did professor Calcium know to look in this cavern?"

"We always check every cavern each time we find a new technique to excavate."

"I see. You know, I saw fossils once before," I told him as I took out my knife, "at Mount Moon. Practically held one in my hands. Didn't look like this one of course, but I do know they didn't leave a white powder trace."

"White powder? What do you mean?"

I showed him my hand and as he leaned closer to examine the white powder, I chipped a piece of the fossil with my knife.

"Oh my God!" he shrieked, "what did you just do?"

"The thing I'm missing," I replied as I picked up the piece, "I got the feeling I'm getting closer. Could you analyse this in the lab?"

"We're only allowed to analyse things from known sites."

"And since this site isn't open for research yet, because of the birds, you're not allowed to analyse anything originating from these caves. Isn't there another place you can analyse this from? Or say that this comes from another site?"

"I couldn't do that!"

"Couldn't or wouldn't?" I asked, "this is important, Clarence."

"Fine, I'll see that it is analysed," he caved, "I'll have the result tomorrow morning."

"Very well."

Just as we emerged from the cavern, professor Calcium came out of the ruins.

"Well, Mr. Hunter? What is your business in the cavern if I may ask?" he bellowed.

"Just checking if the solution of our problem isn't inside the cavern," I replied, "no luck yet, but I'm optimistic."

"Well, get these damn birds out of here fast, so we can start digging properly! How long do you think you'll be able to get rid of them?"

"I don't know," I sighed, "there are a lot of factors to calculate."

"Well, you've spend already three hours already. I would have expected some progress by now!"

"Don't worry," I assured him, "I'm working on it. If you don't mind, I've asked Clarence to run some errands for me. I would appreciate it if you could let him do his work uninterrupted. The sooner his work for me is done, the sooner we can relocate the birds."

"Hmm," Calcium grunted, "very well, but you better make it quick, or tomorrow I'll find someone else to get rid of these birds. And maybe it won't be relocating."

"Don't worry, tomorrow will be fine," I said as Calcium went back inside the ruins.

"Uhm, Mr. Hunter?" Clarence asked, "what will you do while I…"

"Doing some more research," I replied as I opened my e-mail, "just checking some things."

Not even five minutes after I send my request, I got a reply. Did the guy live on the computer or what?

l33t boi (ph34r me) (HAXXOR3588àhotmail) says:

what's up?