Chapter Nine: Broken
With Every Legend, There's a Beginning
The sun was rising over the mountains on Route 205. Everything took on a purple and orange look as the world turned from light to darkness; night to morning. The sun beamed happily but rose gracefully as if pushing itself out of bed after a long rest.
I camped out for the night close to Eterna Forest. I could see the wall of trees close by. I let out Budew and Bidoof for the night and they helped keep me warm, it was breezy out there. I pulled my messy morning hair up into a bun and brushed some dirt off my clothes. I decided to skip breakfast and eat as soon as I got to Eterna. I only had a piece of bread left and half a jar of honey. My stomach growled and begged to be fed, but I put my foot down and left for the forest.
I took long strides and lugged my bags with me. Keep your mind off your ankles. I repeated. My ankles already started to ache, and I hadn't walked very far. I had been walking in Eterna Forest for probably ten minutes.
I came across a Buneary and had a quick, and successful, battle. My Bidoof was getting faster and tougher. I saw much improvement in him. Budew was still a little off. She was quick, which was good, and getting better at dodging. Gible was too stubborn to train before I left Floaroma, so I just returned her and said 'Fine, Snorlax-Gible, if you do not want to grow stronger, you won't battle.' We hated each other. There was no love like a starter Pokémon and a trainer should have. It was purely battle. This would be okay if Gible listened to me.
Eterna Forest was mystical. The huge trees, all of different kinds, towered above me and shaded me from the sun. Only sometimes a beam of light would shine through and reveal the dancing specks of the air. I kept thinking 'My mother would have loved this place.' I saw a bunch of trees I didn't recognize. Some with large trunks and short branches that sprouted too many leaves so you couldn't see the Pokémon nesting. A lot of flowers spotted the green ground also. It was all very beautiful.
I came upon one area with an old cabin that was deserted and beat-down. It was a small house with broken windows and holes everywhere. A few Pokémon ran through the holes to get away from me. A few yards away sat a statue. I walked up to it. It was a chiseled rock of some Pokémon. The Pokémon was oddly shaped. It was bowing its head so the person looking at it could see the pink gem placed on its forehead. It held its arms to one side, pointing. I looked to where it was pointing. Nestled in between two trees was another Pokémon statue. It was slightly different than the other, but it was bowing and pointing. This Pokémon also had a pink gem on its forehead.
The last statue was just inside a group of trees and in a clearing. In the back of my mind I worried about getting lost, but brushed the thoughts away. This last Pokémon, like the other two, had a pink gem on its head. I wondered what these statues meant and why they were in Eterna Forest, but then I remembered. Way back before Annie became the champion, Eterna was Eterna Forest. So people actually lived out there.
This statue, however, had writing on its base. I read aloud. "The power of three, united we stand. Whispers in the wind, spots in the sand. The power of one, united we stand. Come together, only in the Tinkers right hand. Broken are we because of true power, we come together in only one holy hour. Broken are we, the power of three." I cocked my head and studied the Pokémon. I felt like I had seen it before somewhere. But the thought was hazy and dreamlike. Maybe I dreamed it?
Each Pokémon had different shaped heads, but the same body. I tried to think of where I saw them before. They must be Legendaries, otherwise they wouldn't have their own statues. I thought. In my studies I learned about a few Legendary Pokémon. Dialga the Keeper of Time, Palkia the Keeper of Space and Reality, Heatran the Lava Legendary, and a few others from other regions. They all contribute to the world somehow. They keep everything in order.
But that rhyme, it had to mean something. And it was definitely written by humans. The statues were chiseled artwork. I felt something deep inside, something screaming 'It means something!' But all I could think of was the Solaceon bombing. Someone bombed Unknown Writing that said 'All who's good and kind will be rewarded over time, all who's not, will see the lot of darkness.' Although it was just something the Unknowns wrote, someone was trying to make a statement by bombing it. Same with every other bombing and the fire in Veilstone. I suddenly sat my stuff down.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked at my shoulder, nothing was there. It was some ghost hand. I wanted to scream, but I felt overwhelming peace. "Daaaa, oooo, ttthhhh." I heard whispers again.
I turned around, but no one was there. My heart picked up speed. The presence was still there.
"Do not." It paused. "Be. A fool. Think. Think." I felt wind wisp around me, as if the ghost was circling me. "Have." The voice was leaving; I felt the presence slip away. "Heart. Think… Think…" And with that, the whisperer was gone and took its peace with it.
"Wait!" I called. I dropped to my knees. "Come back! I have so many questions for you!" Tears started swimming in my eyes. "Please?"
I had never felt so lost before. I felt like I didn't know anything. I didn't feel like a trainer or soon-to-be champion. I felt like the little girl who moved in with her grandparents demanding for her mother and father who were long gone. I felt like the little confused girl standing at the boating docks crying saying 'Grandmother, why haven't Mother or Father come back yet? They said they would be gone only one day! It's been a million days!' Everything spun around me.
"No." I said. I shook my head and stood up. "I'm going to be the champion, I am not going to let something control me." I looked back at the statue. "You're a connection, aren't you? Somehow you're connected to the attacks, to Lea." I thought about it. "No… No… You're not…" I swore loudly.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
My eyes grew wide and I spun around. Some guy, a year or two older than me, was standing there. He had greenish hair that was neatly combed back. He wore tan shorts and a green t-shirt. He clutched the straps of his backpack. "Did you hear me?" He asked.
"Yes. I did. I'm just, uh…" I bit my lip. "I'm trying to figure out this rhyme, okay?" I pointed to the statue.
He nodded. "Ah, yeah. 'The power of three, united we stand.' You shouldn't get so stressed over it. It's just a poem." He shrugged. "I'm Oliver." He stuck his hand out to me.
I shook it. "Cynthia." I smiled thinly. "So you're familiar with this rhyme?" I turned back to the statue.
"Yeah, yeah. I live in Eterna and come out here often. Everyone has stumbled across the statues before."
"What does it mean?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Beats me. The man who made those things was possessed. He's long dead now."
"Then these were definitely manmade by a possessed loon. Good to know." I grabbed my bags and turned around. I started walking away.
"Hey, wait up." He ran to my side.
"Can I help you?" I stopped walking and stood in front of him.
"Do you even know where you're going?" He asked, ignoring me.
"As a matter of fact, yes. I'm going to Eterna."
He laughed. "Really? By the looks of it you were headed back to Floaroma." He grinned.
I rolled my eyes. "I was not. I got a little off track because of the statues, but—"
"But, the statues are off track. You're turned around." He cut me off.
I sighed. "I'll figure it out. Nice meeting you." I stomped off. I heard leaves crackling behind me, he was still following me. I stopped. "What do you want stalker?"
"I'm no stalker, miss." He said. "I'm being nice and helping you get to Eterna."
"You're not helping." I muttered.
"Sure I am! Here's a hint, you're very, very, very cold right now."
I groaned. "Leave me alone." I was not in the mood.
He sighed. "Fine, fine, fine. If you don't want my expertise skill of traveling, it's your loss. But just for the road, by going that way you'll be much warmer." Oliver pointed to a trail and walked towards the statue clearing.
I nodded my thanks and walked to the trail. After a minute of walking I came to another clearing, this time there were three different trails. I smacked my forehead. "Great, Cynthia! Just great!" Now I have no choice but to ask for his help… I thought. I groaned and walked back to the statue. He was on his knees reading the poem.
"Hey, what are you doing?" I decided to go with a joke to ease my embarrassment. He looked up at me, I tried a smile.
"Saw the trails?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go." He stood up and led the way down the trail.
"So, Oliver, what are you doing out here?" I asked.
"Just walking around. The statue is my thinking place." He pointed to his head. "Nice and quiet out there."
I nodded. "It is." I agreed. "Do you know anything else about the poem?"
He thought for a moment and then shook his head. "Sorry. Poetry isn't really my forte, if you know what I mean. But I try to decipher it."
"What have you deciphered?" I wondered.
"Nada thing." He looked over his shoulder and grinned at me.
"Oh." I looked at my feet.
"Hey, don't get stressed again. I don't like stressed Cynthia." Oliver looked back at me and I glared at him. "What? I'm just being honest." He shrugged and grinned.
"Well I think it means something deep."
"Like the bottom of a bucket?"
"Something that has to do with legendaries." I continued and ignored him.
He nodded. "Could be. I think they're just weird looking Pokémon from the mind of a possessed sculptor."
"Of course you would." I murmured.
"Hey!" He stopped and turned around.
"What? I'm just being honest." I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked.
He ran his hands through his hair. "Yeah, yeah." We started walking again.
"Other than getting lost and swearing at a rock, what were you doing out there?" Oliver asked.
"Just trying to get to Eterna." I shrugged. "The statue did have me captivated though."
"They do that. You just wonder and wonder what that old drunk was thinking however many years ago."
"Why do you think he was a drunk? You shouldn't judge someone so harshly." I said.
"Ever been in his house? I have. It's an old, Pokémon infested dump with broken bottles everywhere. He had no friends or family to clean up his mess after he passed, so it's left just the same." He explained.
"Where is his house?"
"It's that cabin near the statues."
I stopped in my tracks. "Let's go back, then."
"What? But—" He tried to protest.
"But nothing, come on Oliver. Maybe there's a clue in his house since it's left exactly the same." I turned around.
Oliver groaned and started to lead the way again. "It's a dump, do you not understand that?"
"One man's trash is another woman's treasure."
"Please don't go all fortune cookie on me." He looked over his shoulder and glared at me. I smirked.
We got back to the cabin rather quickly. I walked up to the old house and pushed open the wooden door. It cracked open then fell right on the ground.
"I didn't mean to do it." I said quickly.
"Oh no, Cynthia, it's all your fault. It's not the hundred year old door." He gave me a look and I glared at him.
I stepped inside. Right at the door was a broken bottle. The musty smell overwhelmed me and I coughed. "I told you." Oliver said through a cough. "Very unsanitary. But no, we just have to go on an old dump, Rattata infested adventure."
"Oliver, if you want you can wait outside." I said annoyed.
"Pshh, yeah right. There's no way I'm missing this." He said.
"Then look around." I walked around a few more bottles to a wall. This wall had a boulder pushed up to it. The boulder had writing on it. I bent down for a closer look. "Whispers in the wind, spots in the sand. They haunt me like ghosts, never leave me alone. The voices gets louder, they want me." I whispered. Voices, ghosts? I thought. It was very familiar.
"Hey, check this out." Oliver said. He was standing at the table looking at some pieces of paper. I approached him. "This says 'Day 57: The voices are louder. They talk to me normally and not in whispers. It's my entire fault, I let them in. But they never left me alone! They keep telling me I need to build statues, but…' That's all I can make out. He spilled some of his spirits on the rest. And look here." He turned the page over. "'Day 59: I did it. I was up for the past two days, night and day, working on the statues. They revealed themselves to me. They're mesmerizing. They told me their deepest secret. They're broken. They need someone's help. I offered, but they said no. And then they left me. Left me! I miss their presence. They brought peace I have never felt before. Now I'm not safe. No one's safe! No one! I call for them but they ignore me. Everyone calls me insane, but I'm not. I'm not! I need to feel at peace. I've done things I regret… But it makes me feel better.' Crazy, right?" Oliver handed the page to me.
"Maybe not." I said as I studied the page. "Who says he's crazy just because he heard whispers?"
He gave me a weird look. "Uh, what? You're not serious, right? No one just hears things."
I bit my lip. "You're right." I muttered.
"Does this mean we're done here? I feel like I have dust covering me." He started brushing his clothes for dramatic effect.
I ignored him and looked through some other dusty, yellowed pages under the half-full bottles of spirits. I couldn't find anything else. Only one page full of the quick handwriting, but it was all smudged and unreadable. I sat the pages back on the old table and looked around. There was a Buneary huddled in a corner protecting other smaller Buneary. Other than that there were only broken bottles, broken wooden chairs, and an old bed.
There was writing on the walls. Most was unreadable, but some were lines from the poem on the statue. "I guess we're done. Have you found anything else?" I turned towards Oliver. He was in another room.
"No. This is just an old kitchen and I think a bathroom…" I heard a slight crash. Oliver ran out of the room. "Ack! Definitely a bathroom. Let's just say our crazy friend used a bucket." He made a disgusted face. "Don't go in there."
"I won't. Ready to head to Eterna?" I asked.
"Yeah, yeah." We walked out of the door and back down the trail. Nothing changed outside. The breeze picked back up and the dew from the grass vanished. What you could see through the leaves of the trees indicated a clear sky. It was nice.
"Don't you think going to Mr. Loon's house was a waste of time?" Oliver asked.
"Of course not. We learned a lot there." I said.
"Because that's what I wanted to do with my free time." He sighed.
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. I learned a lot. Is that better?"
"Yep."
We were silent for the rest of the walk. We walked mostly on slim trails or taking 'shortcuts' through the trees. It took about an hour of walking to get to the end of Eterna Forest.
"Here we are. Route 205. Easiest Route to follow." He chuckled. "Maybe not but one of the easiest, I assure you. Just follow your map." He smiled.
"Thanks, Oliver. Without your help it would have taken me a long time to get here."
"Hey, no problem." He ran his hand through his green hair.
Then, my stomach growled loudly. I gripped my stomach. Oliver laughed. "I skipped breakfast." I explained.
"Then you need Sally's." He grinned.
"What?"
"Sally, she's the best cook I know. If she had the funds, and didn't have a kid, she would have her own restaurant. C'mon, I'll escort you myself." He made a large bow and I laughed and rolled my eyes.
"Thank you?" I cocked my head at him.
"You're welcome." He said it in the Golden accent. "Now then, let's head off. My royal subjects must be so worried about me."
"Please." I scoffed. "You are not royal, for one, and you shouldn't talk in a Golden accent. They're not 'royal' either."
"Hush, hush. I am very much so regal and royal and rich and such." He laughed and lost his accent. "I'm not rich obviously. But those Golden City people are insanely rich, practically royalty."
I just nodded and continued on. We walked to an area with a field of tall grass and trees surrounding it. I stopped and looked at it.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Oliver asked once he realized I stopped.
"I want to train." I said.
"Can't you just train later?" He groaned.
"No. I need to train now. I might challenge the gym later today."
"I have food!" He tried.
"No, Oliver. You can go on ahead and I'll meet you in Eterna."
"Alright, see you then." He turned and walked off.
I walked into the field and grabbed Bidoof's Pokéball. I heard chatter from the trees. How do I get them to come out? I thought. "Go Bidoof." My Pokémon came out of the ball. "How about using Tackle on that tree?" I pointed to a tree. The Pokémon obeyed and rammed into the trunk. The tree barely shook, but a Pokémon came out of it. It was a Hoothoot. Its eyes were wild and huge, and it started 'hooting' like it was scared. It flew over to me and tried to grab my face with its talon.
"Bidoof, Tackle!" I commanded. He leapt into the air and knocked the bird to the ground. It quickly flew back up and came toward me. I put my hands forward to cover my face, and I felt talons scratch my palms. "Tackle then Growl." I yelled. Bidoof took down the foe and growled loudly. The bird screeched and tackled my Pokémon. Bidoof hit the ground hard and yelped, but quickly jumped back up. He curled into a ball and did something new, he made a teal bubble appear around him. The Hoothoot was now focused on Bidoof.
"Tackle." I said. Bidoof ran hard and jumped on the bird. They both hit the ground hard. I grabbed an empty Pokéball and threw it at the foe. It was sucked into it and the ball was rapidly shaking. I knew I couldn't catch the Hoothoot; I threw the ball to let us get away. I didn't want a Pokémon that attacked me. I started jogging away, and Bidoof was running at my side. I looked at my hands. They were covered in deep red blood. I cringed and curled my hands into fists. It stung so bad tears crept into my eyes.
Then, I heard a slight ding. I froze and looked over my shoulder, I caught the Pokémon.
Authors Note: I just want to say sorry for not posting in so long, pure laziness for some part of it, internet malfunctions for another part, and editing this chapter so much. Originally, this chapter consisted of Cynthia meeting a couple and talking with them, and a quick walk through E-Forest, and then being in Eterna. I hope you guys think this is better. In another edit I put in Oliver, which I have come to love. I always have my OC's close to my heart, but this guy has to be the closest. SPOILER: There is a gym leader (My OC) which I love already, her name is Zoey and I won't tell you which gym she's in. She's not in the next one. That's all about her. I just adore her and I will try to make her epic.
Another thing I'm sorry for: There probably won't be cover art unless a friend of mine does it for me. Drawing is something I can't do, and I don't even have Photoshop to make it look better. So... Yeah. You'll have to deal with my profile picture as the cover, which is a Lapras. (Not so bad, right?)
Now that you guys have read all that, I want to say how thankful I am for you. I feel like through this story I've lost so many readers and you guys are getting bored or just quit on me. Please tell me if you are. I've been cut from a community, which is really upsetting, and I've been down. (Another reason this took so long to write... But there are not any excuse.) So thank you to the people who haven't quit on me. Really, thanks for reading! And unlike me, don't quit doing something you love because you've lost readers. (Not saying I've quit this story, in fact the next chapter should be posted quicker.) And with that, see you next time!