Chapter Three: Sootopolis
Somewhere in the Hoenn Ocean, March 6, 1:30 A.M.

Darkness, broken only by tiny specks of light, was all that I could see for miles. It was a very cloudy evening, so only in places where the clouds broke for just a moment the stars would shine through. It was a calm night in this part of the world, but the night had cooled the air and so Salamence was flapping his wings a lot more often than usual. He was tired, but enjoying every moment that he had in the air.

He must be completely worn out. I thought as his breathing got heavier. If we didn't reach Sootopolis soon then I would land in the water and have my Gyarados ferry me into the city. However, according to the time that we had been in the air, I figured that we would be reaching Sootopolis within a few minutes.

I had taken a short nap on the way, and I felt a little refreshed. Yet, it was very hard to stay asleep while bumping up and down with every wing beat of a gigantic dragon. Mostly I spent my time just staring off into the darkness around me. It was very intriguing. Darkness lay all around, and I could barely see Salamences neck in front of me. Many trainers didn't fly with their pokemon anymore, because they thought flying in airplanes was more comfortable, but in my opinion flying bonded yourself with your pokemon. I was in the life of my Salamence's hands, and he was protecting me with all of his power.

Suddenly, the harness started shaking softly but firmly. I heard Salamence roar, which meant that Sootopolis was in his sight. I soon began to make preparations for landing by adjusting the harness tighter for the rough riding ahead. Some clouds had opened up right above us, and I could see a faint reflection in the ocean of the stars. The ocean was about a mile down. Even though I was strapped in tightly, I leaned forward and clutched Salamence's neck tighter.

After about five minutes Salamence dropped a little, a signal that Sootopolis was just below us. I tapped the base of his neck with my index finger, which was a sign for him to dive. Salamence extended his wings fully, slowing his speed greatly. When he had stalled completely, he pulled his wings down across his body and fell like a block of lead. Though I had been a little bit sleepy before, all tiredness left my eyes as we plummeted towards the city. I looked down across Salamence's neck toward the ocean and saw a cluster of lights sitting there like they didn't belong. Here was Sootopolis, the City of Origin.

Sootopolis had originally been an ancient holy city in which the few powerful trainers of the day would travel to. Based solely in the center of a dormant volcano, it was thought to be near impossible to enter because the slopes were almost vertical. A small village had been established in side of it, consisting of the toughest and most powerful trainers. However, when helicopters and other hovercraft were invented, it was colonized very quickly and now was a popular tourist destination. It also held some ancient ruins, the most popular was the famed Cave of Origin where it was rumored that life had began.

The lights jumped up to meet us as we fell towards them. The wind beat against me so furiously that my eyes started to water and lips began to expand. The air was rushing at me so fast that it felt as if someone were pressing a hand to my face. I tried to keep my eyes on the city to brace myself for the landing process.

One red building grew larger in particular as we headed for the ground. The "P" on it clearly distinguished it as a Pokemon Center, an international pokemon resting hospital and a five-star hotel. I only stayed at PokeCenters whenever I went on a trip, mostly because I always got annoyed staying at people's houses that I didn't know.

Our landing was imminent, but Salamence held his dive. We were so close I could see the individual on the buildings. At the last possible moment, Salamence expanded his wings at full force to bring us to an abrupt but soft landing. With a gentle thud we hit the ground.

I reached backwards and felt for a small leather latch that held my by body to my harness. With a small tug, I instantly became free of the harness. Slowly, I slid off of my Salamence's back. Once I was off he curled up into a ball and went to sleep immediately. I proceeded to remove the harness from him, carefully unbuckling the straps along his belly and neck. When it was completely off, I called him softly into his pokeball and attached it to my belt.

I folded up the harness and packed it away into a large compartment in my backpack. After a big yawn, I entered the Poke Center. The doors were a clear thick plastic that were rumored to be bulletproof, and they slid open as I approached them. It had been fifteen years since I had last come to Sootopolis, and the Pokecenter had been remodeled since then, having a larger lobby and an upgraded P.C. system in the wall. I approached the front desk where a rather large Blissey was sleeping. I checked my watch. 1:45 A.M. it flashed. I felt bad about waking up the Blissey, but my desire to have my pokemon healed and to sleep in an actual room inclined me to do so. I walked up to the Blissey and shook her gently.

"Excuse me," I asked. "Can you take my pokemon and heal them overnight?" I asked the sleepy pokemon. Blissey gave a yawn and took my belt with all five of my pokemon on it. She then waddled into the back room where the hospital was. She apparently didn't want to deal with me anymore, because after about thirty seconds a nurse with long blonde hair came out. She had obviously just woken up because she didn't have any make-up on, her hair wasn't combed, and she looked really sleepy.

She looked at me and faked a smile. Nurses were required by the hospital to always be kind to their guests. Over the years I had seen some nurses crack because of the act they had to put on to some stubborn people. However, I wanted to cause the least amount of stress as possible. I decided to make things short and to the point.

"Would you like a room?" She asked in a low, monotone voice. I could tell that she wanted this conversation to be as short as possible too.

"Yes please. I've been flying all night. All the way from Blackthorn City." I replied.

She looked up at me with a raised eyebrow. "Blackthorn, eh? We don't get many visitors from there. What are you here for?" She seemed mildly interested, but I felt that I had to keep the real reason that I was here a secret. I didn't think that she would have wanted to be reminded of the cataclysm that occurred ten years ago.

"I'm supposed to be meeting someone for business." I said. It was a small lie, and it pulled off its purpose. She lost whatever interest that she did have and she opened up a small drawer in her desk.

"Room 202," she said as she produced a key from the confines of the desk. "One of our best. Have a good night."

I took the key and gave her a quick thank you, then hustled up to my room. It was on the second floor, but it was easy because the escalators worked at night. The hallway was lit just enough that I could maneuver down it and find my room. Once I discovered it, I opened it with the key, turned around and locked the door behind me. I stretched and let my backpack fall on the floor. I was so tired that I climbed right into bed with my clothes on. I can't tell to this day, but I believe that I was asleep before my head actually hit the pillow.

The earth was shaking tremendously. I stood alone at the edge of a large cavern. Large rocks began to fall from the ceiling, plummeting to the ground. Every time one struck the floor, magma would seep up and gobble it up. I began to panic as red light began to flood the entire room with an eerie glow. The shaking of the ground knocked me to my feet. I beheld the spectacle whilst lying on my back. The earth seemed to be bent on destroying me.

Thoughts began racing through my head. I knew these were the last moments of my life. I was witnessing Hell as it reached up to snag another victim. Panic took control of my mind and I began to hyperventilate. I had to do something to save myself from this fire which would consume me.

I flipped over and started crawling away from the boiling magma as it began to fill the chamber. However, there was nothing but solid walls around me, and I was trapped. I heard a laugh somewhere in my head, and something impossible began to happen. The magma lifted from the floor and began to float in the air, as if being controlled by some psychic force. The magma began to expand and stretch to become large hands of bubbling liquid, and they clenched in the air. Suddenly, they rushed towards me with their fiery power. I raised my arm to protect myself.

Yet they didn't impact. I opened my eyes to see myself sitting upright in my hotel room with my arm across my face. I lowered my arm and saw that it was only a dream. As I got up and looked out the window, I thought more on what I had seen in my dream. It seemed to be too real to have just been my imagination. I had had many dreams in my lifetime and only a few had ever affected me like this.

Deep in thought, I looked at the sky. It was dawn, but the sun would not be seen until about eleven o'clock because of the height of the volcano. The slopes of the crater were covered in thick jungle. It was amazing that trees had found a way to survive on the slopes inside this volcano with limited light and water, but somehow they did it and flourished. I then looked down on the small city of Sootopolis. It looked different then I remembered, mostly because in fifteen years technology had increased drastically. Some of the older houses had been replaced by newer stone houses and the water level had increased slightly. The old dirt pathways had been replaced with a cobblestone sidewalk, and the entire place looked more modern rather than the old village it used to be. I stretched, taking in a huge breath as I did, and then I headed downstairs for breakfast.

The breakfast at Pokecenters were always vegetarian, and were also very simple. Although I would have rather had some bacon and eggs for my meal, I settled on a bowl of cereal and a piece of toast instead. The cereal was some Hoenn brand that I had never heard of before and it was a little tangy. A Chansey came up to me as I was eating and handed me a tray that had my belt and pokeballs on it. She held out a medical release sheet which I signed quickly, and then she went on her way. What great service I thought as I strapped my belt back around my waist.

When breakfast was over I began to head to my destination. Before I left, I stopped at the front desk to drop off my key. The same nurse that gave me my room was sitting at the desk. She had her hair combed and make-up on, and she looked much happier. I handed her my room key.

"Did you enjoy your stay here at the Sootopolis pokecenter?" she asked with a smile on her face. She sounded a little more sincere, but I thought that she was still faking it.

"Very much so," I replied in a happy tone so that she wouldn't feel awkward. "Were my pokemon any hassle for you? I hope they weren't any trouble."

"Actually," she said, "Now that you mention that, your Gardevoir was a little jumpy this morning, but it was nothing serious." I smiled and said goodbye, but something about Gardevoir's behavior bothered me. As I was leaving I looked past the nurse and into the back room. I saw two Chanseys sitting in medical beds with blank, stupid looks on their faces. Large red burns were all over their bodies. I had seen those burns before and I knew that they weren't caused by a fire pokemon, but rather from a psychic one. Right then I knew that Gardevoir's little struggle must have been major mayhem for the medical staff.

I soon began to question the motives for Gardevoir's seemingly unprovoked attack on the doctors and nurses in the hospital. She was almost always passive. The only time she had ever been this anxious had been a day when I was almost tackled by a Ryhorn. Something was coming up, and I knew it had something to do with Archie's friend that I would find in Sootopolis.

The card that Archie gave me said 307 Golduck Lane. As I was trying to find it among the stairs and roads that were Sootopolis. I wondered why anyone would have wanted to live here in the first place, because the entire city was built on a slope and one false foot placement could send you falling down a flight of steep stairs. Nevertheless, I trudged on, hoping that I would find the address soon.

After climbing a few stairs I fortunately found Golduck lane, and after some confusion found house 307. It was a new model, made of very nice stone with two pillars holding the front of the house up. There were large windows on the front, and I wondered how often a Swellow would smack into one of those. I chuckled at the thought of sitting at dinner and then hearing a large smack on the window.

I knocked on the wooden door and heard footsteps behind rushing quickly. When it opened I was face to face with a tall woman with black hair and a blue suit that slightly resembled Archie's, having the large letter "A" on it. She looked like a Swellow herself with a sharp looking face. She reminded me of the teachers that you would seen in old movies; tall, ugly, and strict. I almost laughed at her appearance, but luckily I was able to hold it in.

"Darren Diamond, I presume?" she asked in a very proper but cold voice.

"That would be me," I said mimicking her proper style of voice. I was in a joking mood, but she didn't seem to share my feelings. Her eyes narrowed at me and she scowled. She was not like the nurse at the hospital and had no problem with letting me know that she was annoyed.

"I wasn't expecting you this early," she said, dropping her hands to her sides, "I need to change before we head down to the cave. Please come in." I entered the house and saw that it was just as elegant on the inside as it was on the outside. A large glass chandelier hung from the ceiling in the entryway and cast prismatic rainbows on the walls all around. The walls were completely blue, and the feeling of the house was like I had just stepped into the ocean.

"Wait here!" she said and she walked into a different room and out of sight. I obeyed and I sat down on a small bench that was by the door. I was still in awe at the immensity of the house. I looked through the door that the Swellow woman went through and saw an enormous mural on a wall. I got up and walked towards it, while minding my manners and stayed in the lobby. It was a large picture that must have taken a year to have painted, with hundreds of water pokemon all around. In the very center of the mural was a large whale-like pokemon that seemed to have red engravings on it. The pokemon looked familiar, but before I could examine it closer the Swellow woman came out of her room. She had changed out of her blue uniform with the "A" on it and was now dressed in an orange suit that had a cryptic "M" on it. It was made of a thick material that I couldn't recognize, and I thought to myself how strange this lady was. She quickly pushed past me and ordered me to follow.

"Wait! What's the hurry?" I asked her. She stopped and turned to me. I could sense that she was nervous about something, and I was determined to find out what it was.

"I, um, I'm just scared of the dark, that's all." she replied. Her eyes shifted and there was a slight hint of a crack in her voice. It was so easy to see that she was lying. I hated being lied to, and I was going to get to the bottom of why she was. I tried to imagine what could be so important about a dormant pokemon in a cave in this town that required her to lie to me, but to no avail. I decided that I would just follow her and learn for myself what was going to happen.

We walked up the treacherous stairs for about five minutes. At the very top there was a large, circular entrance to a cave. It seemed that the entrance was man-made, more like a crypt than a cave. A man wearing a similar orange suit was standing guard over the entrance. The woman I was with marched up to him and said, "We are here, now let us in." The man, obviously not wanting to cause any contention with this woman, stepped aside. There was a plastic covering on the entrance to the cave. The woman I was with picked up the plastic and lifted it up for me to crawl under it. She soon followed afterward.

The cave was darker than I imagined. I pulled out my keychain and turned on a small electric light that I had attached to it. Looking up, I could see thousands of Zubat clinging onto the ceiling of the cavern. Every once and I while I'd see a Golbat fluttering around the Zubat, they were painfully obvious to point out. The woman I was with touched a few buttons on her watch and it began to glow and lit up the entire cave. It was one of the newer versions of a P.D.A., but I preferred to stick with the older technologies. We began to descend into the cavern. It was like a gigantic spiral staircase, going down and down. We reached a large steel door at the bottom, and I was confused. A door in a cave? I thought. The lady opened it with a great struggle and told me to step inside.

At first I was taken aback. I had an attack of Déjà vu as I saw the room that I had entered. It was exactly like the one in my dream, but it much greater detail. It was well lit with fluorescent lights that had been drilled into the ceiling of the cave. Another thing I noticed was a group of people were in the room, all dressed in orange. They looked up as I came in, but then turned back to their work. They seemed to be working on a large boulder about the size of a house in the middle of the room. There was one big difference between this cavern and my dream, however, and that was that I could see no magma.

Suddenly I heard the steel door slam behind me. I turned and tried to open it, but it was stuck fast. Two can play at this game, I thought as I felt for a certain pokeball on my belt. Throwing it into the air, I called my Tyranitar out and she gave a loud roar. The people over by the rock covered their ears.

I said, "Tear down thi-" but I was cut off. I felt my left pant pocket get really heavy. I reached for it and pulled out the Red Orb that Archie had given me just yesterday. It was being pulled towards the center of the room as if by some magnetic force. I held it back with all of my strength. All of a sudden, the pulling stopped. I sighed in relief. I thought I was safe, but all of sudden the strange orb began to glow very brightly and a red ray shot throughout the room. The people in red that were working on the rock started to panic and run towards me waving their hands. The ground started shaking and boulders began to fall from the ceiling. The lights that were on the ceiling immediately went out and the entire cavern was bathed in darkness.

I could hear the other people screaming, but I couldn't see them. The boulders that fell from the ceiling fell down and crashed into the floor, breaking it open to reveal a river of molten lava. The only light came from the magma, and I could barely make out the figures of the people trying to escape. All of sudden, they were bathed in light.

Then, I looked towards the center of the room where the light was coming from. It appeared to be coming from the large rock. Two holes had appeared at the top and were shooting out beams of red light. I gasped as I realized that those two holes were eyes. Eyes of the legendary beast Groudon.