Note: The next arc is coming on phenomenally. Some of my best work yet, or so I have been told by my beta readers.
But that's for later. Enjoy the chapter.
Sinnoh chapter 6: Kingdom of the Crystal (and the) Shard
It was the largest chamber yet. It was also, quite surprisingly, beautiful.
Like the other chambers they have seen, runic arcs decorated the rugged stone walls. This time however, they glowed in ethereal colours. Bright reds, greens, blues and all different sorts illuminated the area in vast canvases, depicting scenic views of people interacting with pokémon in their daily lives.
"Wow, it's beautiful…" Yellow said. Her eyes were drawn to what seemed to be images of children fishing near a small lake with a crowd of what she assumed were Woopers dancing happily around them.
"Dia? Platinum? Did any part of Mount Coronet look this pretty when we were last here?"
Platinum didn't even respond to him. It didn't really matter, as all the trainers were somewhat distracted by what they were seeing.
"Who built this place?" Dawn asked.
"There have been ancient civilizations that have lived in Sinnoh for centuries. These ruins… I've seen similar ones in textbooks but… nothing like this," Platinum said, coming back to her senses.
"And why was Paul, or… whatever that thing was defending this place?" Yellow asked.
"So many questions, yet…" The images were almost overwhelming. Platinum's analytical mind was in overdrive. Yet she found herself tranced by the dazzling array of images. She felt hypnotized…
They should probably leave soon.
"Look. Over here." Ash was the only one not looking at the glyphs on the wall. His eyes were glued to a small obelisk at the back of the room. A glowing black orb sat on its pedestal, yet his focus was on what was underneath it. A carving of a human handprint.
"Pika?" Pikachu was just behind Ash, sensing what he was about to do. He turned towards the others. Should he alert them? Maybe give Ash a jolt so he'd come to his senses. He opted for a more diplomatic approach, calling out to the trainer.
"I know I shouldn't Pikachu, but… I… I feel…"
"Pikachu!" At that moment the other trainers looked at Ash, inches away from the Obelisk. Dawn realized it looked similar to the small structure in the room of cocoons.
"Ash! Wait..!"
But it was too late. Ash placed his hand on the Obelisk.
The images on the wall began to shift and contort. The various depictions of these people and the simplicity of their daily life began to warp in purple and blackened spirals, the light of the images rapidly fading and reappearing.
"Seniors?" Dia tried to focus on the other trainers, but the entire room had come to life, completely overwhelming the sense of the trainers. He swore that the images had begun ringing as well, or at least that's what he wanted to call it. A ringing that drowned out the screams.
"Everyone! Close your eyes and cover your ears," Yellow shouted. The others followed her example. Whether it was a good idea or not was a matter of opinion at this point, but she was acting on impulse. There wasn't much in the way of thinking right now, and her mind reading abilities have left her sensitive to such stimuli.
Damn! Why did I go and do that?! Ash clenched his teeth. His sense came back in full force the second he touched the obelisk. He wasn't in exactly the greatest mind set after being accused of destroying the life of his rival, and even in better states he wasn't exactly known for taking calculated and methodical actions.
Seconds went by, feeling like years, the room buzzing in their ears. They didn't even try to scream above the noise, merely hoping that it would stop. And stop it did, only after a few moments, slowly fading out. Ash opened his eyes first.
"The walls… they've changed…"
Dawn didn't bother listening. She opened her eyes.
"Ash?! Why did you have to go…" She had been ready to give Ash an earful, but her anger quickly faded when she looked back at the walls. The collage of colours had almost disappeared, with each wall now illuminating only a single colour, the right Red, and the left Blue.
"The walls changed. Is that bad?" Diamond asked.
"I don't know…" Platinum quickly scanned the walls. She noticed that the images were no longer separate scenes of individuals and their pokémon. Rather, they now looked like a mural, a continuous painting that stretched from one end of the cavern to the other.
The walls told the story.
On the right wall, marked in the calm blues of the ocean, a massive pokémon appears from a darkened hole in the sky. The people of the land fear the creature, some bowing to it, and some raising spears. A great battle was about to ensue. And then…
The spear holders were interrupted by the ones who kneeled. A great debate erupted amongst them. Then they threw down their spears, approaching the creature in peace. It lowered its pointed head, allowing them to touch it. And then…
A blacksmith, a passionate soul who lived to create tools for his people. Tools that were used to defend his fellow villagers from those that might harm them. And now he would wrought his greatest creation. He had turned to gem cutting, and had carved a beautiful, glowing white crystal. A gift for the strange creature that had become a friend to all the villagers. And then…
The people present their gift, placing it on the creature. The glow of the crystal brings it comfort. It smiles, letting out a cheerful call. It is now a part of itself, and he will cherish their gift forever. And then…
The creature leaves, leaving the people as they wave goodbye. From beyond the veil it keeps a watchful eye over the world. While coming from a world of darkness, it would serve as a beacon to all who entered its domain, only using force when it deemed it necessary.
And thus, Giratina was written into their history. The pokémon that Ash had once befriended, a misunderstood pokémon that simply wanted to be left in peace. And so the story ended on the right wall. Yet that wasn't the only story being told here.
On the left wall, marked in the fiery reds of a blistering flame, a massive pokémon appears from a darkened hole in the sky. The people of the land fear the creature, some bowing to it, others raising spears. A great battle was about to ensue. And then…
The kneelers were interrupted by those who held spears. They gave them spears in turn with little debate, and they approached the creature with their armaments held high. And thus, the creature and people fought a long, lengthy battle that lasted for years. And then…
A blacksmith, a passionate soul who lived to create weapons for his people. Weapons used so that his fellow villagers could raid the other tribes, increasing their resources and power through bloodshed. And this was his greatest weapon to date, though its design was quite deceptive. On the outside, it looked to be a simple ball. But it was a capture device, similar to the others that were designed to tame the local oddities that they shared the world with.
After a lengthy battle, the blacksmith tosses the ball. The creature roars as the ball opens, unleashing a swarm of black tendrils that latch on to it. They are freezing cold, yet seers the creature's body as it pulls it in. The struggle is brief, and the creature is locked within the ball. The portal opens again as the ball is tossed within it. The creature awakens, back in its world, trapped there forever. And then…
The creature was gone and the humans celebrate. From beyond the veil if keeps a vengeful eye over the world. It came from a world of darkness, and now it retreats back into its role as an unwilling protector of this world. It would blend in with the shadows and use excessive force to drive invaders from its home, it's only goal to escape this place once again and destroy those who sent it back.
And thus, Giratina was written into their history. The pokémon that Platinum and her friends had once defeated. A malevolent pokémon whose ire towards humanity would never falter. And so the story ended on the left wall.
The images faded, and the walls turned to stone once again. The torches in the room glowed the blue flames that littered the rest of the catacombs.
"Did you all…" Yellow stuttered; a flurry of information flooded her mind. It's almost as if the images had come to life, and the stories they told played so vividly that she swore she was living out each event in the flesh.
"Yeah, I did…" Ash moved over to the right wall, placing a hand on the stone. "This was our world's Giratina. I've seen it before. It was actually very friendly, when it wasn't angry at other pokémon," Ash said with a slight chuckle.
"And on this side…" Platinum motioned towards the left wall. "It's the Giratina from our world. We stopped it a few years ago."
"But what could this all mean? Why Giratina?" Yellow asked.
"It was Giratina," Ash said assertively. "The pokémon from my vision."
"But… which one?" Platinum asked.
"I don't know… I think it was the one from your world. I felt only… hatred from it. But… a part of it felt familiar. Like I've met it before…"
"It was just a vision though, so who knows what it all really means," Pearl said.
"But we were sent here. Well, Red sent you here," Platinum said. "Whatever happened to him was probably because of Giratina."
"Maybe it's not just about what happened to Red, but what happened to everyone," Dawn said.
"So the merging… all the look-a-likes…" Diamond pondered.
"Everything. It has something to do with Giratina. Both of them," Ash concluded.
"Hey guys! Come look at this!" Pearl shouted, alerting the others to the obelisk that had now changed once again. The black orb had disappeared, and taking its place were two small objects. One was another shard, nearly identical to the one that was given to Ash by the stones. The other was a pristine, clear crystal.
"That crystal and shard… they're from the murals," Platinum said. "But…"
"The shards…" Yellow stepped forward, taking a closer look at them. "These shards. They must be…"
"It's a pokeball." Ash finished.
"By why is it broken then? What happened to it?" Pearl asked. The entire room had become fixated on the artefacts.
"You saw what it did," Ash said sternly. "Of course they destroyed it afterwards. It's… evil."
"And Red wants you to get all the pieces to… fix it?" Diamond asked hesitantly.
"Perhaps? We're assuming a lot here based on a handful of visions and a few pieces of rocks," Platinum said. "Let's just… just…" She collapsed, sitting on the floor.
"Platinum!" Pearl and Diamond ran up to her, kneeling down beside her.
"Hey, are you okay?!" Diamond looked panicked. He immediately pulled out a water bottle and soaked a small towel from his backpack. He placed it on Platinum's forehead.
"I'm alright. Thanks." She said with a smile.
"Just stop thinking for a bit, alright?" Pearl said.
"Ummm… is she actually alright or…" Dawn asked, turning her attention away from the shard.
"Just overthinking a bit. It's a lot to take in. We'll have to research this place for weeks and…"
My sweet child. Where is she?!
In their minds the trainers heard a sinister call. Dawn, Pearl and Diamond all recognized it. It was the distorted women from earlier, her Ekans uncoiling from her neck and hissing at the trainers.
"She followed us here!" Dawn yelled.
The distorted woman launched herself at Ash. Before anyone could respond she pinned him against the obelisk. The Ekans was inches away from clamping down onto his neck.
I can't find her! I can't I can't I can't!
Ash tried raising his hands, planning to scramble out of the women's grasp. To his surprise however, she lept off him herself, shielding her face.
Terrible light! Terrible!
He turned to see a glow emanating from Yellow's hand. It wasn't her own power, but the crystal, which she pointed directly at the distorted women. The trainers all heard a hiss ringing in their heads before the figure retreated, back into the catacombs.
"That's the key!" Dawn scrambled towards Yellow, grabbing her arm.
"Wait? I just woaaaa…"
"Wait? Senior Dawn?!" Pearl pondered for merely a second before the realization hit him as well. "Dia! Let's get Platinum up. To the bubbles!"
The trio got up and scrambled towards Dawn, who was dragging Yellow out of the room. Ash shrugged before taking one last look at the Obelisk. He quickly grabbed the shard and stuffed it into his pocket, before catching up to the other trainers.
Luckily Dawn somewhat remembered the way back to the room of tubes. She didn't want to get lost in these catacombs, again.
Ash, Yellow and Platinum took a moment to examine the room. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Ash's heart sank when he noticed the cocoon that likely contained the small child and her Murkrow that he caught the other day. How could this happen to anyone?
"Over here." Dawn brought Yellow up to the central pedestal in the room, the black orb still swirling over it.
"All of these bubbles connect to this pedestal. Maybe if you inserted the crystal into it or… something…" Dawn shrugged. Truth be told she had acted impulsively once she saw the crystal's influence of the distorted trainers. She didn't have a clue as to if this would actually work, but they had to try.
"Alright. Everyone, get ready." Yellow inched the crystal over to the orb. The crystal began to pulsate, the golden glowing energy intensifying, illuminating the entire room. The bubbles became almost translucent, and the trainers could see the people inside. A little girl with a Murkrow in her arms, a younger woman clutching her Ekans, an old man, side by side with his Krookodile, and a dozen other people littered the room, trapped inside the cocoons with their pokémon. Ash winced as he looked at a gigantic cocoon that sat in the corner of the room. Paul, standing valiantly next to his Torterra.
"Now!" Yellow screamed as she forced the crystal into the orb. It immediately dissipated, the golden energy making its way up the tendrils connecting it to the cocoons. It snaked its way through the entire room, destroying every trace of the substance. The people within the cocoons slumped to the floor. They could hear everyone murmuring to themselves.
"Lisa… where are…"
"Hey, Krookodile? Are you…"
"Mom… where are…" The little girl sat up first, quickly glancing at everyone else in the room.
"Who are…" she turned over to the women with the Ekans. "Mum!"
"Lisa!" The women sat up as Lisa launched herself into her mothers arms. Her Murkrow followed, greeting Ekans with an equal fervor.
"Hey, you?" A young man they didn't recognize pointed towards the trainers as he stood up. "Did you… free us?"
"Well, I guess we did," Pearl said.
"Let's help these folks to their feet," Diamond said. The trainers spread themselves, helping the freed individuals get their bearings. Ash ran over to Paul. The other trainer was sitting down next to his Torterra, not daring to look up. Ash reached out his hand.
"Hey, you don't look so great," Ash said. He tried to force a smile, but he doubted it was showing. Paul didn't return the gesture, standing up without Ash's assistance.
"You should focus on the others. I'm alright," he said, still avoiding eye contact. On the contrary, he looked far worse for wear than the other individuals in the room.
Ash nodded. There would be time to talk later.
