I don't really have a lot to say except one small sad piece of news. I'm going to be focusing on my main story for a while so the next chapter of this one might be a bit. I'll be working on it when I need a break. I'm still not sure how far this story is going to go, but I want to do like three things and once Mikoto goes on her adventure, there will always be something to discover. Anyways, let's move to comments.

Brosephg: I was going to have Aisa go with Seiri, but I decided to wait on introducing her. I figured Pierce would want to show off in front of a new girl. Mikoto and Misaki's relationship will be slightly different. They don't have the tension, but they do have different personalities and preferences that will clash on more than one occasion. It's going to be even more fun when their Pokémon hatch.

G119: The egg colors weren't that important, nor did I do any research on what Pokémon eggs have been shown in the anime or comics. The eggs were more for me to give them Pokémon they wouldn't expect to see normally. I definitely want Mikoto to get a Chinchou eventually.

WiliamZ0: That's good, because I didn't buy you anything haha. Don't worry about the egg colors. They were made up on the fly with no research. Misaki is not getting a Grimer. I can guarantee that, though it would be funny to see her stuck with it. She wouldn't want to concede to Mikoto.

Wiliamsusanto: I decided Charmeleon should represent the super strength Touma displays when protecting someone. Normally, Charmeleon would have been knocked backwards. Mikoto's Pokémon are female yes, except Magnemite. They don't have a gender. Mimikyu is not Touma's fourth Pokémon. It is going to be one no one expects, but everyone will realize how good of a fit it is.

Dragonskyt: Her reasoning was flawless.

vietnamese guy: That was one Pokémon I was debating giving him.

Agent Nine: I'll have to work on getting Riolu sometime in the spotlight so he can evolve.

FrodoFighter: I know, it's such a simple Pokémon but so OP in the anime. All of Aogami's Pokémon will have certain aspects that resemble waifus. Pssh, percentages mean nothing in real life. That's only in the game. Mikoto is very smart to observe Tsuchimikado's real motives. Charmeleon has a unique ability other ones don't have it. It's why it's not allowed into the Pokémon center. I have a lot of options for the eggs, but Grimer is definitely out. Alolan Vulpix tails also kind of remind me of Misaki's spider web stuff, so it's a good fit for her.

GatsuBerk: Not sure Touma is cool enough to have a Tyranitar. That's one you see the top trainers have.

UCCMaster: Opinions have been noted.

BuzZbUzsBBBz: One of the best things about Mikoto is she acts differently around people, so if you follow her, you have to write her in different ways. Plus, there is also her inner thoughts which are usually opposite of her reactions. Oh, I will GARENTEE Touma's fourth Pokémon will annoy Mikoto greatly.

Acpeters: Crossovers are usually interesting. People don't think two different fandoms can merge together so easily.

Q-Guest: There are a lot of discrepancies with the anime. My peeve is why Pikachu seems to deliver every time they enter a new region.

Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or Pokémon. I wish I did so I could retire rich.


"How long until we arrive?" Mikoto asked Ruiko.

"Less than an hour," Ruiko answered after checking her watch. "I can't wait to get there." She involuntary yawned and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I was so excited I couldn't sleep last night and then we had to wake up early."

"I had to virtually drag her out of bed so we could leave on time," Kazari sighed next to her. "I even reminded her this was her idea, but she was almost impossible to wake up."

"I don't like to get up early," Ruiko said defensively. "I'm an afternoon person."

"This isn't something we normally get to do," Kuroko added. "So thank you again for inviting us."

"It was my pleasure," Ruiko replied beaming. "Trips are always more fun with friends." Ruiko had won four tickets for a tour inside one of discovered ruins only an hour and half drive away from Academy City. These ruins weren't exactly common, but they were much more numerous in the Nelos region than many others. Archeologists were keen on learning from them, especially on information relating to the surge of Pokémon from all the other regions. Many ruins were dangerous, but some were in good enough conditions to allow civilians to enter. This was one of them. Ruiko loves rumors and mysteries, so she would enter any drawings for a chance to visit one of these ruins. When she finally won, she immediately invited Mikoto and Kuroko to join her and Kazari. "I'm glad you both were free." All four of them were riding in the back of a bus, which was about half full of other people going to the same place.

"I only need to practice for the tournament coming up," Mikoto said. "But we are going to start on Sunday."

"I'm going to supervise," Kuroko added quickly. "To make sure the ape doesn't try anything."

"He's not going to try anything," Mikoto sighed. Seriously, why does she hate him so much? He's not that bad of a person, just kind of… unusual.

"Shirai-san," Kazari said, mirroring Mikoto's thoughts. "From what we saw, he doesn't seem like the type to try anything. You are overreacting. Besides, Misaka-san is quite capable of taking care of herself."

"Thank you," Mikoto said.

"And his Rampardos seems really cool too," Ruiko added.

"Arg," Kuroko moaned. "You're all ganging up on me." She glanced out of the window at the passing trees and then turned back to Mikoto. "Oh, I planned to meet you after school yesterday and one of your classmates said you left really early, but you told me last night you picked up the egg with Shokuhou-san after school. Were you doing something for the school before that?"

"Egg?" Kazari asked.

"Shokuhou-san and I are having a friendly competition," Mikoto explained to her and Ruiko. "We were out and we saw a special on Pokémon eggs. We decided to see who can raise whatever hatches out. It's going to be a surprise for both of us. As for why I left school early Kuroko," Mikoto sighed. She's going to find out eventually. I rather not have her follow me and get in trouble. "I am participating in the mentorship program and, as part of it, I met my mentor at their school."

"Oh!" Kazari gasped. "You finally found someone? They must be good if you want to learn from them."

"Nice," Ruiko congratulated with a grin and gave Mikoto a thumb up. "I expect you to be even more impressive now."

"Don't say that," Mikoto told her as she turned red. "You make it sound like I'm some kind of celebrity."

"That's great onee-sama," Kuroko added. "You kept saying you weren't happy with the choices the school offered, so I'm glad you found a mentor to meet your expectations." Her face turned slightly depressed. "That means I'm going to be seeing less of you though."

"We are still roommates," Mikoto reminded her. "I'll tell you all about it." I wonder how long I can keep his identity a secret.

"At least you won't be leaving," Kuroko cheered and hugged Mikoto tightly. "Who is your mentor anyways?" Kuroko looked up and her face paled, when Mikoto avoided her eyes and pressed her lips together in embarrassment. "It can't be," Kuroko muttered slowly. "If you can't answer… it has to be… THAT APE!?" She shouted out the last two words and several people turned around in their seats.

"Keep your voice down," Kazari whispered urgently to Kuroko. "You are disturbing the other passengers." Kuroko clamped her mouth shut, but looked furious.

"Is it true?" Ruiko whispered excitedly to Mikoto. Mikoto didn't have much choice but to nod. "Come on, give us the details. What happened when you met him?" Mikoto noticed Kazari and Kuroko leaning closer to listen. She sighed.

"Okay," Mikoto related and Ruiko and Kazari squealed. "It's not like that though. You saw how tough of a trainer he is, so I figured I could learn from him."

"Uh huh," Ruiko murmured with a twinkle in her eye. "So what all did you do at his school?"

"I met his teacher," Mikoto recollected. "She was rather unusual, because she looks really young. Then I met his class. Most of them were pretty… excitable? I guess would be a good description. As soon as their teacher left, the class started having a free for all match in the training fields."

"Bunch of barbarians," Kuroko muttered angrily. She was obviously jealous Mikoto was mentoring under Touma.

"What happened next?" Kazari asked.

"She gained control and I was introduced to a girl called Seiri Fukiyose," Mikoto continued. "I think she might have been the class rep, but she seemed pretty normal, though a little strict. She was reprimanding a lot of the boys."

"Sounds like my kind of person," Kuroko commented with a short nod.

"When their teacher mentioned he and I were going to enter the upcoming tournament," Mikoto added. "Fukiyose-san challenged us to a two on two battle. We had a match and then I met the rest of his class. Oh, Shokuhou-san also entered the mentorship program and is shadowing him too." Kazari and Ruiko shared a look. "She and I left together and then we picked up those eggs. I'm glad our dorm has a daycare I could keep the egg there for a day. Taking it on this trip would be difficult." She suddenly remembered something. "Oh, I have a video of the fight. Komoe-sensei suggested we record our first team fight."

"Can we see it?" Ruiko asked hopefully.

"I can't wait to see how much onee-sama shines," Kuroko added.

You might be slightly disappointed since his Charmeleon saved Eevee, Mikoto thought. "Sure, I have it on my phone. I watched it once and saw several areas I could improve on. It was Eevee's first double battle and she has a lot to learn." Mikoto pulled out her phone and brought up the video. The other three girls pushed their heads together and watched. Ruiko and Kazari gasped when Charmeleon saved Eevee and cheered when they finally won.

"It's not just his Rampardos," Kazari pointed out. "Are all his Pokémon that powerful?"

"I think they are," Mikoto answered honestly. "I just can't figure out why he isn't as well known. Most people I know at that level would be entering tournaments constantly."

"Maybe he doesn't want to be a trainer," Ruiko suggested reasonably. "He could be after something else." She turned to Kuroko. "You have been awfully quiet." Ruiko smirked. "Jealous?"

"Of that ape?" Kuroko sniffed. "As if. I will admit he has some skill, because he can teach his Pokémon powerful moves, but that is only because he's older than us. Once we reached his age, I'm sure we will pass him easily." The other three girls sighed and Mikoto shook her head.

"Enough about me," Mikoto said. "Anything happen with you two?" She looked at Ruiko and Kazari. I'm only one year older than them and they seem to think I have experience with everything.

"Well," Ruiko replied and leaned back in her chair. "Uiharu caught a wild Pokémon Thursday."

"What?!" exclaimed Mikoto and Kuroko. They turned to Kazari, who went scarlet.

"It's not as exciting as Saten-san makes it sound," Kazari explained quickly.

"I was a lot older than you before I caught my first Pokémon," Mikoto said impressed. "How did you do it?"

"It was an accident," Kazari mumbled under their gaze.

"Give us the details," Kuroko said to Ruiko. Kazari wasn't going to give up the information.

"We were outside at the park," Ruiko explained. "You know how wild Pokémon sometimes visit and play with the kids?" Mikoto and Kuroko nodded. "Well we were next to a couple and decided to feed them, when Uiharu tripped…"

"Only because you pulled up my skirt," Kazari interrupted. "A bunch of kids saw my underwear."

"…That might have been the reason," Ruiko continued with a grin. "Anyways, she tripped and her only pokeball fell out of her bag. It rolled toward the Pokémon. An Oddish walked up, poked the ball, and disappeared into it. The ball shook, but it didn't escape. So, tada, she has a new Pokémon."

"I was going to release it back into the wild," Kazari added. "But it didn't want to leave. Chikorita also seemed to want it to stay, so I gave up." She sighed. "It wasn't fair when they both looked at me with those expressions."

"It's still impressive in its own way," Kuroko complimented. "You are the youngest person I know who captured a Pokémon, even if it was accidently. Our teacher is remaining firm about waiting before we go out and capture our first one during class."

"They do that," Mikoto laughed, as she remembered being in Kuroko's position. "Well still, congratulations Uiharu-san. It's going to be tougher raising two Pokémon instead of only one, but I'm sure you can do it."

"Thanks," Kazari said and smiled at them. The rest of the trip they talked about school, Pokémon, and anything else that came to mind. They couldn't take out their Pokémon because the bus driver had told them to keep all Pokémon inside their pokeballs. The time passed quickly before they arrived in front of an old moss and vine covered ruins. There were several pillars surrounding the main ruins, with about half of them collapsed. The main temple was sunk halfway into the ground, but the entrance was clearly visible. The bus slowed down, stopped, and people began to get off. Mikoto and her friends were the last ones to step off the bus and they looked at the ruins again. Mikoto noticed Ruiko's eyes were sparkling while Kuroko and Kazari merely looked excited.

"This way everyone," an older male with grey hair called out. Mikoto and the others moved with the rest of the group to form a semicircle around him. "Can everyone hear me? Good. My name is Shihi Imagawa and I'll be your tour guide today. I'm glad everyone has followed our dress code of long pants and closed-toe shoes. We can't let you in otherwise. My assistants will be passing out hardhats with headlamps to everyone." He motioned to a man and women who looked to be in their upper twenties. They started moving through the crowd and passed out the equipment while he continued. "There are many ruins discovered throughout the Nelos region, but this one is probably in the best shape. It is the reason we can bring in civilians. The equipment is only a safety precaution. Does anyone have any questions before we begin?"

"How long is the tour going to be?" someone asked.

"We estimate about two hours. Time can vary depending on how long you wish to see certain areas." Shihi looked around. "No more questions? Anyone need to use the restroom? Okay, we are going to walk around the grounds before we enter the actual structure itself. Please follow me and stick together. There is a main path, but some of the ground around it can be loose and treacherous. We don't want any accidents." He turned and led the group through the columns surrounding the center structure. "Oh yes, please remember that everything here is old. Avoid touching anything you can. Thank you." He gestured to the entire area. "The ruin is over four thousand years old and was one of the first…"

"I'm surprised it's in such good shape," Ruiko confessed and looked around. "Most of the columns are still standing."

"You think this is good shape?" Kuroko asked skeptically.

"Plant life is going to grow everywhere and making it look unkempt," Kazari pointed out. "Saten-san is referring to the fact the main structure is still standing. Nature is very rough on buildings."

"I really want to see the inside," Ruiko whispered excitedly. She tried to keep her voice down to avoid disturbing the other tourists. "I heard there are all sorts of drawings and symbols."

"Looks like this area should have been built better," Mikoto commented, when their group entered a larger open area on the other side of the temple. "Or something bad happened." The girls looked around. The area had at one point been covered with stone blocks, they were still visible, but tall grass and weeds had grown up between most of them and several had been destroyed. A couple craters had formed around the edges indicating something had hit the stone with a lot of force. All the stone arches surrounding the stone ground had fallen. Several had shattered into countless pieces. In the middle, there was a simple stone alter. The sides were smoothed, but there was a few marks showing something had been engraved on them before the weather wore it away. It seemed to have been split in half.

"This area is perhaps one of the most interesting places on the ground," their guide said loudly from in front of the altar. "You may have noticed this area has not weathered the years as well as the rest of the ruins. Our research led us to believe this area was used for rituals back when people first lived in this area. They weren't as knowledgeable as us, so they still believed in magic, hilarious." A few people smirked and Mikoto shook her head. "However, because of the extensive damage, we have been unable to discern exactly what kind of rituals they performed here, but we believed they performed religious functions."

"What would have caused the damage to only be here?" someone asked.

"We believe there had been some kind of battle," Shihi explained. "What exactly the fight was over is still being examined. We couldn't even tell who they worshiped because of the damage from the fight and the years of decay." He turned and walked through the crowd. "We did however, piece together many clues found within the main temple. I'm sure you will all appreciate it."

"What do you think it is?" Kuroko whispered to Mikoto.

"No sure," Mikoto admitted. "He has given us a history lesson, but nothing specific about these ruins." She looked around and spotted a few birds flying above them, but they stayed far away. "Is it my imagination or does this area seems strangely deserted? Pokémon seem to be avoiding it."

"Now that you mention it." Kazari mumbled and looked around. "In an overgrown area like this, you would expect to see at least a couple."

"I bet it's because of the archeologists," Ruiko said dismissively. "They wouldn't want to be around people investigating the area."

"Maybe." Mikoto wasn't completely convinced. While some Pokémon might not be used to human interaction, there were plenty of scavengers who would investigate what people were doing. Many Pokémon liked to take shiny stuff or steal food. It's almost like they don't want to come here. Maybe I'm just imagining things. The girls followed their guide through the impressive archway surrounding the entrance to the temple.

"It's going to get dark real quick," Shihi called out. "Be prepared to turn on your headlamps and please try to avoid shining them in people's faces." He paused for a moment. "Oh, and try not to act to surprised when you see our first real sight." They turned a corner and everything turned pitch black. As one group, everything turned on their lights.

"Woah!" There was a collective breath of amazement.

"So many," Kazari gasped. When they turned the corner, they walked into the main room. The walls around them were covered by rows and rows of pictures, all resembling different Pokémon. The tour group began to spread out and examine the walls. Some red ropes were set up to discourage people from touching the drawings and everyone stood behind them. A few people brought cameras, but flash photography was banned. Shihi stood in the middle and continued to talk.

"This was our first real clue about what the inhabitants of this temple worshiped," he said loudly for everyone to hear. "As you can see, the people who lived here drew pictures of Pokémon. Many of them are similar to their modern day descendants, but many of them have changed. For example, Magicarp. Now, one of the weakest Pokémon, thousands of years ago it was much large, faster, and stronger. There's a picture over here of it." Four people immediately crowded around it.

"This is really cool," Ruiko said and slowly walked parallel to the wall. "Much better than our history books."

"I have to agree," Kuroko added. "This is completely different. Huh, I think this is a Lapras, but its back area is different. It's more curved like a shell, rather than bumpy."

"Looks at this," Kazari called out to them. "Doesn't think look like Kamijou's Rampardos?" Mikoto, Kuroko, and Ruiko gathered around her and glanced at it.

"It does," Mikoto agreed. "There's not a lot of difference between this one and his. Rampardos must not have changed that much." The guide suddenly spoke louder and tried to gather everyone's attention.

"You all might have missed it, but if you can move your head lamps to face the ceiling." Every lamp when upwards, as everyone looked up, and there was another collective gasp. The entire ceiling was covered by a giant mural of four Pokémon. The one in the center was the largest and it was surrounded by thee others, but the three were completely illegible. The Pokémon in the center was a white equine with a gray, vertically-striated underside. The striated pattern had similar recurrences on the underside of its mane, tail, and face. Its four pointed feet were tipped with gold hooves. Its long mane jutted away from its head. The face was gray with green eyes, red pupils, and ears sticking upwards. There was also a streak of gold coloration on its head. Its neck was fairly long, with two pairs of extrusions to the sides, and a flap-like feature on the neck's underside that was colored white like most of the body. It also had a golden cross-like wheel attached to its body by its round abdomen,

"We believe they worshiped Arceus," Shihi explained, as he pointed to the ceiling. "The Original One and the supposed creator of our world. The three Pokémon, you really can't identify from here, surrounding him are the creation trio, Dialga of time, Palkia of space, and Giratina of Antimatter. The portraits of the other three have faded and cracked with age. It seems like when it was drawn, the portrait of Arceus was infused into the stone, rather than painted. The other three were added as an afterthought."

"Isn't Arceus just a legend," Mikoto called out. "No one has ever confirmed a sighting."

"It is a legend," Shihi confirmed. "But there's an old saying. All myths have some basis in facts."

"Hah," Ruiko whispered.

"Arceus isn't just related to this temple," Shihi continued. "Most ruins in this region have drawings, along with other areas like the Sinnoh region. There have also been sightings of the creation trio in the last decade, so there is enough evidence that Arceus exists, or at least existed at one point. Many ancient Pokémon did not survive to this age."

"Do you believe Arceus ever revealed itself here?" someone asked.

"There is always that possibility," Shihi said. "We don't have any solid evidence it did, but there are writings and carvings farther into the ruins. I will point them out and explain what they say. This should answer a lot of your questions. Is everyone done observing the drawings?" He looked around. "You could think of this room as one of the first Pokedex's, as any Pokémon these people saw was drawn on the walls. We are now going to visit the living quarters, which is down this hallway." He stopped in front of the entrance. "Some hallways have been roped off for your safety. Cave-ins, unstable footing, and sharp objects are abundant there. Please stay with the group and out of those areas. But feel free to ask any questions you may have. We will answer them to the best of our ability."

"It would be really cool if Arceus was real," Ruiko whispered to the others, while they waited for everyone else to file into the hallway.

"A Pokémon that could create an entire world doesn't seem possible," Kazari pointed out.

"It's their belief," Kuroko said with a shrug. "We shouldn't judge them too much. There could be a lot of reasons why they worship Arceus. If a really powerful Pokémon offered them protection or hope, I could see them thinking it was a deity of some kind."

"True," Mikoto agreed. "History has told us humans and Pokémon have existed side by side since forever. I wonder why type Arceus would be. The other three were said to be dragons, so maybe it was too."

"Still looking for electric types?" Ruiko laughed and threw her arm over Mikoto's shoulders. "Don't worry. I'm keeping an eye out for any rumors that could help you find your very own legendary."

"Heh," Mikoto chuckled. "The day I catch one, I will finally consider myself an accomplish train-…" She frowned and turned around. What was that? Mikoto could have sworn she felt something watching her. She shined the light around, but didn't see anything. She felt a slight shiver down her spine, something was out there, but she couldn't see it. The feeling passed, but now Mikoto was weary.

"What's wrong onee-san?" Kuroko asked worriedly.

"I felt like something was watching us," Mikoto said slowly. "It's gone now, but I swore…" Her voice trailed off.

"Maybe it's one of the pictures?" Ruiko tried to pass off jokingly.

"The rooms a lot creepier without all the lights," Kazari admitted. "We should hurry up or we are going to fall behind."

"She's right," Mikoto agreed. "We don't want to get lost." The girls moved after the rest of the group, but Mikoto gave one last look back in the room before disappearing down the hallway. Mikoto learned to trust her gut instinct, so she truly believed something had been watching them.

She was right.

High above them, in a corner of the room, one of the drawings began to move. A large white eye blinked and began to float slowly toward the ground. It had two black appendages hanging down from its body, which was really just a large eye, and one connecting the two horizontally. It almost looked like the letter A. The creature looked around and then peaked around the corner of the hallway Mikoto and her friends had traveled. The eye blinked again and slowly followed them, but kept plenty of distance.


Mikoto was enjoying herself. She wasn't the biggest history or legend nerd in Academy City, but she liked to learn new things. Their guide was knowledgeable and was able to date most drawings in the cave and explain what each room was for. Some were obvious, as there were stone remains that gave it away, but several rooms didn't have anything inside them except for the old runic language written around the entrance. The bedrooms in the temple had a few stoned pieces of furniture, but any type of bedding they had would have decayed long ago. When they traveled down three levels they came across a huge room, which their guide pointed out was most likely used for meetings. What they discussed could only be imagined, but would usually involve issues they currently faced or ways to appease their deities. It was a lot more fun than learning from history books and Mikoto made notes of some of the history she learned in case one of her classes wanted a history report in the near future.

"So," Ruiko asked, as she suddenly appeared next to Mikoto. "Having fun?"

"Yes," Mikoto admitted honestly. "The drawings are really interesting and all the legends and lore we don't read about in history books. They only give us proven facts." She looked around and saw Kuroko and Kazari talking to a couple of the other tourists. "It seems like our friends found some common ground with the others."

"I heard them talking about some of the difference between the current Pokémon from their past forms," Ruiko said. She looked at Mikoto closer, while trying to avoid shining her headlamp in Mikoto's eyes. The rooms in the temple were pitched black down here. There were torch stands, but the guide told them they wouldn't be lit to prevent ash and soot from damaging the ruins any further. Permanent lights have not been fully established down here yet. "You sure you are having fun? I would feel bad if I dragged you here and you weren't."

"I am I swear," Mikoto replied. "Why do you ask?"

"You seemed to be sticking in the back away from everyone else," Ruiko pointed out.

"Oh that," Mikoto said dismissively and waved her hand. "I'm not a huge fan of crowds, so as long as I can hear the guide I'm good."

"Too used to the attention back home?" Ruiko asked with a grin and poked Mikoto in the side with her elbow.

"Don't get me started," Mikoto sighed. "Kuroko may find it funny, but I'm tired of people thinking I'm a prodigy. I only work hard."

"And that's why we are such good friends," Ruiko laughed. "You put up with my antics and I don't worship you. Though, I do look up to you. I'm going to work hard on making my dream a reality too."

"Opening up a chain of Pokémon food shops right?" Mikoto asked.

"Yep."

"I'll definitely be stopping by plenty then," Mikoto laughed. "My Pokémon love your-…" She suddenly stopped and turned around. She caught a glimpse of something moving behind them.

"What is it?" Ruiko asked concerned and turned to face the direction Mikoto was looking. While the rest of the group was going down one hallway, they were looking down another.

"I definitely saw something move down there," Mikoto whispered. "I'm going to check it out. Want to come with me?"

"Maybe we should alert the others?" Ruiko suggested.

"Kuroko would argue with me about being reckless," Mikoto pointed out. She knew she was being reckless, but she didn't care. She wanted to find out what was following them. It might be some ancient Pokémon living in the temple. "If I don't go when she's distracted, I'll never be able to."

"Good point," Ruiko agreed. "Uiharu would be the same way. She would insist on telling our guide." She looked back one last time at the disappearing lights. "Let's go." Mikoto grinned and they moved in the direction she saw the thing move. They stopped and waited quietly when they reached a four way intersection. Something squeaked to their left and Mikoto pointed. Ruiko nodded and they moved that way. The hallway was pitched black and only the light beams from their helmets allowed them to see anything. "We are going to get in so much trouble," Ruiko whispered to Mikoto.

"What do you mean?" Mikoto asked, in a tone of false innocence. "We got separated from out group and thought we heard them go this way, too many distractions all around us."

"Heh," Ruiko giggled. "Sounds like you have talked your way out of trouble several times."

"I skip class every now and then," Mikoto admitted and looked to her right. "This way, but be careful." She stepped over a red rope blacking a hallway. "That sound, it's definitely close." She instinctively grabbed a pokeball at her side.

"What do you think it is?" Ruiko asked.

"Has to be a Pokémon," Mikoto said. "It doesn't sound like a human. I want to know why it's the only one here." The hallway opened into a room. She held out a hand in front of Ruiko. "There it is!" She didn't actually shout, but she couldn't contain her alarm. The Pokémon was looking right at her. She saw a large white eye flouting on the far side of the room. She directed her headlamp at it. "It looks familiar," she mumbled, not taken aback by the appearance of a large flouting eye.

"Woah," Ruiko gasped and pulled out her Pokedex. "That's an Unown. I didn't know they still existed." She held her Pokedex up.

"Unown," her Pokedex identified. "The Symbol Pokémon. Unown are said to have existed since ancient times. They have many different forms and shape, but little is known about this mysterious Pokémon."

"Should we try to catch it?" Ruiko asked. "It's a psychic type, not electric though."

"How about you catch it then?" Mikoto suggested. "Pikachu and I can help you since this is your first real battle."

"Really?!" Ruiko exclaimed. "Okay, let's do this then." She and Mikoto both threw out a pokeball.

"Pikachu!"

"Popplio!"

"Ouch!" Both of their Pokémon appeared in a flash of bright red light, which almost blinded them. Their eyes were used to the dark with only soft whitish-yellow lights from their lamps. Mikoto blinked and was the first one to recover. "Saten-san, you need to call out an atta-…"

"Pika!" Pikachu's urgent cry diverted Mikoto's and Ruiko's attention. Pikachu pointed with one paw and they lowered their headlamps to see the floor.

There was a deep pit only five feet in front of them. Their lights hadn't been pointed at the ground so they missed it.

That one step could be disastrous.

"Was it trying to make us fall?" Ruiko asked in horror. To her surprise, it was the Unown that answered instead of Mikoto.

It squeaked in alarm and shook its head. Pikachu and Popplio both looked confused and turned back toward Mikoto and Ruiko. They were waiting for direction on what to do.

"Err," Ruiko muttered thinking. "I'm sorry if we frightened you. You see, my friend saw you watching us and wanted to know why."

The Unown squeaked again.

"Why are you the only Pokémon here?" Mikoto asked. "And why didn't you just show yourself in the first place?" This time the Unown didn't make a sound. Instead, it started to glow in a light purple light. Mikoto blinked and looked down at the pit in front of them. A white light was emerging from the bottom and was getting brighter and brighter. "Look our!" she cried as a flash of light engulfed the girls and their Pokémon. The light was so bright, they couldn't even see the person next to them.

The ground beneath their feet disappeared.


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