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Arc I, Plate of Space
Chapter Six:
There Were One Thousand
"When I gave the earth its shape, I hid the Plate of Space in a deep cavern," I explained, having been unable to sit for hours. The sun had set long ago, so Aurelio had lit a flame in between us. I watched the wax trickle down the candle. "I lifted a mountain from below the ocean to surround it, never once thinking that humans would acquire the means to reach it."
Aurelio leaned against the headboard of his squeaking bed, arms crossed. "Hmm," he said, "I'm trying to think of projects that include a mountain…there's one in the south going on right now. No? Okay, hold on, let me think..."
"There is nothing but ocean all around it," I continued patiently.
"Nothing at all?"
"Well, there are rocks and snow at its base. There are glaciers, as well. They stand like pyramids, only they descend into cerulean waters."
Aurelio closed his eyes, letting the lull of the nighttime urge his thoughts. "Glaciers…" He quickly sat up. "You're thinking of the Crystal Towers expedition. That's what they called it after they saw the mountain. It stands like a gemstone in the ground, doesn't it? Like a giant crystal."
"That's the one," I said, awakened inside.
"That thing is an absolute freak of nature," said Aurelio excitedly. "Its surface is glass-like. You can see your reflection when you walk up to it. Everyone thinks that it's hiding some rare Pokémon, but I've never heard anyone mention that they've found evidence of your presence there." He raised one of his eyebrows at me. "That's where you hid the Plate of Space? Arceus...that is hardly subtle."
I shrugged.
"So what's in it besides the Plate?"
"The mountain?" I worked my mouth, pretending that I was remembering even though I hadn't forgotten a thing. "I, and the legendaries as well, have always referred to the place inside as my catacombs. The tunnels extend into the mountain's center, far from daylight or civilization. When I created the earth, I stood upon its surface for a short moment. We call this place the catacombs because that mountain is the last place I touched the earth before I retired to the immortal dimension."
"Sort of like...a metaphorical death, then."
"If that's what you wish to call it," I said.
Aurelio opened his notebook and wrote something. I observed him. His hand, the one gripping his pencil, had paled. He wrote so hurriedly that I could not see what he had transcribed. "Is there anything else that they might find in there?" he asked. "You know, something to distract them from what we're after. Mysterious treasures, maybe, or like...a sarcophagus, I don't know."
"Writings upon the wall, I suppose." I frowned, my mood steadily growing more sour. "I assure you that they will see the Plate first. Like the Alterstone, it glows a radiant color. They won't miss it."
Aurelio shut the notebook, also looking rather despondent. "Yeah, you're right," he said, sighing. "Then that means we just have to get to the Plate first. I know for sure that the Crystal Towers expedition is being funded by the Devon Corporation. I think they tried to get me on the team, but I refused because I didn't think it would contribute much to my own research. Either way, I'm in a good spot with Devon. We could head to Rustboro City and see what we can find out?"
"I'd rather just fly to the island now," I protested. Would the human slow me down? "Time is running short!"
"Seeing how you handled the people in the bazaar, I'd be really reluctant to let you launch a siege on the mountain," said Aurelio, his voice strangely low. "You literally froze up. The Devon Corporation takes intruder situations seriously. Someone wandering onto an excavation site could mess with some precious findings. With that kind of funding, the people you'll inevitably run into won't be some random shoppers. They'll be skilled Pokémon trainers who will fight, not flee, when they see someone trying to break into their project—"
"But it's my mountain and my Plate—"
"If you want to go ahead and announce to the whole world that you're Arceus, then do it," said Aurelio. "But I've worked on a lot of Devon Corp. projects before. They'll either see a human trying to steal the Plate or a mischievous Pokémon getting into some trouble — and they'll stop you no matter what. If I can get on the project myself, we'll have free access through your catacombs. And it won't take longer than a few days."
The muscles on my back felt cramped. I had never partaken in a battle before — I was much too fearful that I would forfeit all control and hurt someone. My powers were meant to design universes and conceive life, not to be used for...play! I abruptly experienced a stormy apprehension inside of me.
Perhaps Aurelio was right. Even if I didn't like his less than "right here and right now" initiative. But I was just as guilty — I would have likely retrieved the Plate by now if I hadn't ignored this problem for so long.
I stopped bristling. "Fine, then," I said. "So how will you gain access to this project?"
"I have friends," he said innocently. When he saw my unamused expression, he exhaled loudly. "My dad and grandfather were both researchers for Devon. So I do the same. Mr. Stone — that's the president — and his predecessors have been funding my family for a long time. We are the world's leading experts on, well, you. Other researchers work on general things. Every project needs archaeologists, geologists, biologists, people to work equipment, and vice versa. My family...well...we just travel around the world trying to figure out the legend of Arceus."
"I see," I said quietly, studying Aurelio's face. It had been several hours since he discovered me in the bazaar, and still he could not look me in the eye.
"So to answer your question: I can get on any project I want." He swung his legs around the bed and stood up, stretching his torso. "I've never expressed desire to work on something different, despite Mr. Stone's suggestions since I was, like, I don't know, ten. He's always wanted me to be the one who went in a different direction. He wants me to discover the secrets of Arceus as much as my family does, but he thinks you're somewhere else...that if I focus on another project for a change, I'll stumble upon some arbitrary clue."
He blew his messy hair from his eyes.
"Which is what happened," he continued. "I came to this town to help a friend with some fossil Pokémon. Twenty minutes after leaving the site she's in charge of — you. There you were."
"I was unaware that Earth was so...troubled by my presence." I tasted my next words before I said them, worked them in my mouth a little. "I thought that...perhaps I had been forgotten."
Aurelio put his hands on his thighs, staring absentmindedly at his knees. "Never," he said softly. When he had emerged from his trance, he laughed. "I'm going to run by the bazaar before all the kiosks close up. I went there earlier to grab stuff for dinner, but never got to it...obviously." He glanced at me. "Do you want anything?"
My immortal body, despite its perishable guise, never slept nor ate. "No," I replied. The smell of the witching hour, the cold must of twilight, came through the windows. I wanted to go outside, but the Alterstone had not stopped glowing since I arrived. I had tried to cover it with all the fabrics I could conjure, but still its light would overpower them.
"I'll be back soon, then," he said hesitantly. He watched me as he left, as if afraid that I would leave and never be seen again.
Aurelio had been gone for less than a minute when he came back into the shack. "Arceus," was all he said. He mentioned no more and had no need to, because I could tell from the odd crinkle under his eyes that he had been spooked by something meaningful.
I went out there. A chill — from the night air or my own premonition — came across my skin like sea-tide waves.
"What is this?" I demanded, ripping a piece of burnt paper from the door. "Is this a joke?"
HOW FUNNY — IT SEEMS YOU ONLY HAVE TWO ARMS.
End of Chapter Six