Chapter 14: The three stones
"And that's the story." Sonic finished.
Mewtwo's eyes widened and Pikachu's mouth was hanging open. Raphael, however, was pretty confused.
"Why are these things here? Is it something we've done?" The trainer asked.
"No, it's not something you did. It's something they're doing. They're after things called the 'key items'. We don't know what they're up to, but it can't be anything good." Link answered.
"How do you know?" Raph asked.
"It's already happened in both our worlds and they took our special items with them." Sonic said, a fleck of anger in his voice.
"He even took the key items from other worlds and we were fighting to protect them. They're THAT strong." Link explained, seeing the look in Raph's eyes.
"Quick, what is the most important thing anywhere around here?" Sonic asked, very urgently.
Mewtwo dipped his head in thought. Then, it hit him. It was something he saw on an ancient tablet while living in the wilderness and now it came right to his mind as he thought of these dragons coming to steal them.
"I think it's the three sacred jewels. I heard that, when combined, they will give off a massive amount of power. They come in three different colors and are in three different lands. I think we'll be able to find the first one here in the Hoenn Region." Mewtwo answered, strictly.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Raph said.
Raphael seized Pikachu by the scruff of his neck and put him on his shoulder. He then hopped on his hover bike and revved up the engine. Sonic simply took off with Link in hot pursuit. Mewtwo produced a kind of blue aura that surrounded his body and shot off through the air. Shortly after that, Raphael started up the engine and shot off across the area.
Miles away, Yellow Drache was also on the hunt for these gems. He touched ground and began to sniff the air, as though the Key Items had a scent anyone could follow.
"They're close… so close I can almost taste them." Drache said as he narrowed his orange eyes.
"WOW! I've never seen THAT Poke'mon before!" A female voice said.
That was enough to draw Drache's attention to a hip-looking girl with a Poke'ball out. She chucked it at him, but he simply opened his mouth and launched a fireball at it. The flames burned the Poke'ball to dust and the trainer had to hit the dirt to avoid the full-on assault.
"I have had enough of your childish games! Get away or face a fiery death!" Drache roared as he pointed a clawed finger at her.
The trainer said nothing, but she did just as she was told and ran away as fast as her legs would carry her. It thrilled Drache to see this pathetic child run away like a mouse faced with a cat. He was tempted to chase her down, but he chose not to. He had more important things to do.
"I can't believe that psychopathic fool, Salamander actually found a key item. I'm surprised he can even talk with an insanity level as high as his. He's better suited as a berserker than a general, the bloodthirsty animal." Drache thought to himself as he took to the wing again.
The five heroes roared through Hoenn as fast as they could until they came across a strange cave. They screeched to a halt and Link was the first to speak this time.
"Is this it?" He asked.
Mewtwo touched ground and nodded.
"In here is a yellow gemstone. If it's combined with the other stones, it will become the Stone of Power. That's probably what these creatures are after." Mewtwo said sternly.
"Well, I never really expected to go spelunking…but okay." Sonic said with a shrug.
Without further hesitation, Link went in with his comrades close behind. The minute they took five steps into the cave, it was almost pitch black.
"Man! I can't even see my own hand." Sonic said as he put his hand in front of his eyes.
"Ya' want light? Okay!" Pikachu said.
The little mouse's cheeks then lit up a very bright yellow color. The light was so bright that it was as though Pikachu was a living flashlight.
"Good thing, Flash attack." Raphael said as he continued with Pikachu on his shoulder.
It took them a long time just to navigate this cave, seeing as it was a labyrinth of twists and turns, but the cave was more long than winding. Finally, after what seemed like hours, they found the stone. It was perched on a pedestal of pure gold and had the symbol of a lightning bolt right on its front.
"There it is!" Raph said excitedly as he extended a hand to get it.
The minute his hand touched it, electricity coursed through his body and he flew backward. As he struggled to his feet, still feeling like he had just licked a spark plug, he could have sworn he heard Mewtwo chuckle in his mind.
"Oh, and I should tell you. Only a Poke'mon can touch it." Mewtwo added.
"You must really love seeing people struggle, Mewtwo." Link said, knowing what the answer would be.
"I find it somewhat amusing." Mewtwo said with a sly grin, his eyes remaining as sharp as ever.
Mewtwo lifted his hand and the yellow gem levitated into the air. It floated through the air and right into Pikachu's little hands.
"Wow…the Yellow Gem. Don't worry, Mewtwo, I'll guard this with my life." Pikachu said as he put it in Raph's pack.
"Good, Pikachu. However, I suggest we get out of here soon. I'm expecting company from above." Mewtwo said as he looked backward.
Yellow Drache touched down on the ground after hours of flying and went into the exact same cave as our heroes. However, he didn't need a "living flashlight" to navigate this cave. All he had to use was his sense of smell. That AND he had catlike eyes which allowed him to see in the dark.
"At last, the first part of the power stone is mine." Drache said as he grinned a very toothy grin, showing off every one of his crocodile-like teeth.
This grin happened to be short-lived, because by the time he reached the altar, there was nothing there. When he saw it was nothing more than an empty pedestal, he let out a high-pitched noise that bore a resemblance to a cross between a roar and a shriek.
"NO! Those lowlifes beat me here. That's NOT going to happen again. They've messed with Yellow Drache for the last time!" Drache cursed as he clenched his fist.
He then proceeded to get out of the cave and take off like a pterosaur. As he flew at high altitudes, he saw three clouds of dust race underneath him and a blue streak of light fly close to the ground after them. His scowl malevolently turned into a malicious smile as he realized who it was.
"I've got you now." Drache said as he took off after them.