Strong desert winds blew against the rusted steel of the Outskirt Stand's derailed caboose. Wheels stood locked in the sand, locked in time; not even a squeak was allowed out of them. Orion stoically approached the train, not even bothering to block his face from the sandstorm. The board leading into the caboose cracked under his feet, yet stubbornly refused to break.
The inside of the caboose seemed more cramped looking than the outside. A muscle man in a green bandanna sat behind a bar, with several backless seats on the opposite side. All was quiet except for the soft voices coming from the news station on the TV. Orion picked a random seat and flagged down the bartender and modestly ordered an ice water. He stared intently at the screen. The two anchormen appeared to be having a conversation as opposed to running a news show. Orion couldn't decide if they didn't care about ratings or that they simply were that bad at their jobs. Or maybe it was just how they ran it in Orre. Any intelligent man like Orion knew that it would be foolish to judge mere cultural differences.
"Yes, that's right. The officers just rushed in, and grabbed the girl from her place in the stadium. The 17-year-old girl, Evelyn Hughes, was ripped straight from her place in the stadium after just having won a battle. Yes! I was there! A bunch of men, twenty of them, rushed in and just took her away. Actually-" The woman on TV looked down at a paper on the desk. "Wow! She was found guilty! Secc, what do you know about this? I just find it so unbelievable!"
The young man on TV nodded his head, an interested smile evident on his face. "Yes, Meg. Investigators have found the weapon used to kill the pokémon -a Saiga-12 shotgun. Her fingerprints were found on the handle, but it was pretty subtle. It took the forensics a while, but she's finally been put away."
"Thank you, Secc. Wow... the world's sure become a dark place. This is Meg, signing off."
Orion let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Even still, he didn't believe it, even after hearing it on the news. He looked down at his water and sipped from it.
Just then, three peculiar strangers walked in. The first one was a bald older man. He was massively large, with a ripped black t-shirt with a flame and ripped jeans. He appeared to be carrying a suspicious red tank on his back. The second looked like he just came out of a fancy restaurant. His black hair was greased back. His navy blue suit and white tie complimented his piercing blue eyes. His pokets were deep and appeared to have something round in them. The last one looked the youngest out of the three. His blonde hair was spiked, and wore a black overcoat with yellow buttons over dark jeans. Orion squinted. Was the overcoat... rubber?
The three strangers scurried over to one of the middle seats, not sparing Orion even a single glance. Orion waited until the bartender served the trio their drinks, then snuck over to one of the nearer seats to listen in.
"Drisle, man, if you don't stop being such a stick-in-the-ass we'll never get the team to agree to release the girlie," the large one said. His voice was booming. Orion didn't even have to put an effort in to listen to him.
The man in the navy blue suit sighed. "Flair, you know the reason she's in jail is because we didn't have any volunteers in Novus. Not that I can blame them. Who knows how long the project could take." Drisle took a sip of what looked like a tea. The young man with the spiky blonde hair was impatiently tapping his foot. Drisle raised a thin eyebrow. "Volson? You look like you have something to say. Speak up, if you please."
The spiky-haired young guy smirked. "Nah, I'm just excited. I mean, we've been working on this thing for, what? Five years now? We're so close!" Volson clenched his fists in excitement. "I mean, just think, guys! Once we finish Project Initium, all hell will break loose! Well, not really. More like the opposite, really."
He slammed his palm on the table. "People's eyes will be opened. They will demand that we keep doing what we're doing. Pretty soon, the chick, what's-her-face, will be released, and under the civilian's requests! It's the perfect form of keeping track of our little manipulation scheme! Hahahaha!"
Drisle rolled his eyes, crossing his legs. "Volson. Quit making yourself seem like you're evil or something. We're doing the right thing. Yes, I'm sure you're excited, and I am too, but for God's sake, please put a lid on it! People will think we're up to no good!"
"Once Project Initium begins, we'll have rid the world of evil for good. It will be a much holier, safer place. Violence will be almost nonexistent..." Flair let out a content sigh. He pulled out a grey orb with a white center and placed it on the table.
"Here we are. Our very own trophy and crystal ball. Too bad it's so drained and useless now. Huh." Flair took it off the table and put it back in his pocket.
"We're not using that for a while, but just hold on to it tightly. We can't lose that thing." Drisle's voice took on a serious tone.
"Here, are you guys finished yet? We need to get back on the road if we want to get to Gateon Port on time." Volson put his cup back on the table and signed the bill, winking. "My treat, guys. Let's go." And with that, they were off, not paying a certain young man any mind, who had his dark green eyes fixated on the grey orb hanging loosely from Flair's pocket.
Orion's eyes narrowed.
"Good job, Nix, now, Flare Blitz!" Lauren shouted, her feet wide in a battle stance.
The blaziken ran at the Golduck with an incredible speed. She jumped, and in a mere milisecond, was engulfed in flames. Her opponent, a gardevoir, patiently stood his ground and awaited a command.
"Now, Emera, strike her with Hyper Beam!" The gardevoir's green eyes narrowed, and soon, the blaziken was blasted away with a massive beam of orange. Not long after, the blaziken crashed to the ground, fainted. Lauren recalled the creature with a "good job" and turned to her gardevoir.
"Good job, boy. I think you've perfected that technique. Now what do you say about battling yourself?" Just as Lauren was about to release her Ditto from its premier ball, she paused. A large venusaur came through a nearby entrance, with a familiar man by his side. Her eyes were immediately on Orion, who appeared to be holding a large, grey orb with a shiny white center.
"I think your battle with Xerox will have to wait... return." She returned the gardevoir to his ultra ball and clipped it back to her white belt. She carefully approached the man from the back, reached out her hand and-
"What do you think you're doing?" Crap. Lauren blushed at the possible implications and immediately pointed to the grey orb.
"That. What the hell is it."
Orion raised an eyebrow. He picked up the grey orb, and sighed with a smile. "I take it you won't leave me alone until I tell you?" Lauren happily nodded with a stupid grin.
"Alright. I'm not entirely sure, but it's an Eternal Orb," Orion calmly stated, holding it out for her to see it. Just as she reached to touch it, he snatched it away. "It seems broken now, but it can be used to summon Celebi."
"What! You plan on catching a legendary?" Lauren blurted out, her eyes open in shock. Orion recoiled, seeminly repulsed at the idea.
"What? No! That's illegal. Plus I'm pretty sure it's impossible. Anyway..." Orion's venusaur at his trainer, tilting his head in anticipation of what he was going to say. "Supposedly, if you put it in a Relic Stone, Celebi will appear and, according to Orre myth, do you a favor, however impossible it may be."
Lauren's eyebrows raised in amazement. "Wow, seriously? So if I can find one..."
"You know, there's only one Eternal Orb in the world, and supposedly, after Celebi grants you a favor, it will disappear and reappear in another location, usually one that's dangerous or hidden."
At that point, Orion's venusaur had decided to recline on his belly, his eyes closed. Lauren's jaw looked like it was going to fall off of her face. She raised a finger and poked at the orb.
"You... know a lot. But, why is it all cold and grey? I've read a few mythology books, and I recall seeing a picture of one. It looked... I dunno, green and alive-looking?" she asked, not really sure if it was a statement or question. She looked down to look at Orion. He shrugged.
"Hm. Good question. I really don't know. I'll look into it." He turned around to leave. "Come on, Grove," he said, nudging his venusaur. The creature groggily got to his feet, and stretched.
Lauren bit her lip. "Orion, wait." He didn't even stop for her. That was that, she had it. Lauren dashed past him, purposely running into him and snatching the orb from his hands.
"What the-? Do you mind giving that back?" Orion stated calmly, if not a bit irritated. Lauren laughed out loud, swinging it back and forth, taunting him.
"Of course not. But I seriously hate it when people ignore me, so... well, I took it."
Orion sighed, crossing his arms in exasperation. Lauren allowed a bemused smile to cross her face, and Grove was, once again, resting on his belly.
"Alright, I'll bite. What do you want?"
"Well, I was reading the travel guides, and there's this place called Relic Forest..."
"I know exactly what you're about to say. We're not going."
"What?" Lauren's bright smile slowly sank off her face.
"Look, I think it's a good idea that you let me hang onto that thing. You see, I actually stole it from a suspicious looking trio. They were talking about nonsense like ridding the world of evil, and manipulating civilians. They were talking about how important this thing was, and I'd rather hold onto it until everything cools down or, at least, I find out more about them."
Lauren bit her lip, nodding. "Welp, your argument sounds reasonable and everything, but I have some news for you: it is against mine, and I'm seriously curious about what will happen. I mean, evil gangs and conspiracies? Count me in."
Orion put his face to his palm. "Arceus, you're such a fool. What makes you think I would agree to something like this?"
Lauren put on an innocent grin. "I'm not expecting you too. In fact, I really don't care if you agree to it or not. Because you know what? I'm doing it anyway."
And with that, she was off with a dash, a flustered Orion and rather slow venusaur chasing after her.
The underground subway screeched to a halt. Lauren jumped from her seat, shoving through the crowd of people. She was the first out. Orion, in contrast, was the last. The two walked up the stairs, with Orion scrutinizing her pockets and backpack for a large spherical bulge and plotting the easiest way to pickpocket her.
"Listen, Orion. I know you're thinking. I wouldn't be foolish enough to hide it in my pockets or backpack only to have you snatch it away from me. I mean, come on. Surely you're curious as to what would happen if we-"
"We've already went over this. It's dangerous. It's stupid. And you're a fool."
Lauren rolled her eyes, and muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiously similar to "stick-up-the-ass," and with his better judgment, Orion decided to ignore it.
At last, they arrived at the top of the stairs in a rather small Pokémon Center. The crowd had already left, leaving only Orion, Lauren, and the nurse. They exited the building to be greeted by fresh grass and water. The buildings were made out of mostly concrete, but there were one or two that were built into the rather large trees that surrounded the area. Agate village appeared to be built on a rather high hill, but the sand of the desert was nowhere to be seen. It was just trees, grass, a cold running lake, and the structures.
The temperature wasn't hot, but it wasn't cold either. It was heaven.
"I think I might like this place better than Phenac City," Lauren muttered, looking around before speeding down a hill. "Here. According to the travel guide, if we go through this tunnel, we should arrive in the forest..."
Orion silently nodded, and followed her down the hill. The two cautiously entered the cave and pressed forward.
It was considerably cooler in the cave than it was outside. As the two got deeper and deeper, there was less and less light. Soon, the only thing that hinted that they were concious and walking was the loud stream at their left and the strong smell of mold. Orion smirked to himself. Now was his shot. He felt around for Lauren's bag, only to be greeted by a punch to the stomach. He fell to his knees, and silently recoiled in pain.
"No need to be so harsh..." he muttered to Lauren.
"What?" Her voice was much further away than he thought. Much too far to punch him, that's for sure (unless she had elastic arms or something, but come on.) Instead, he was greeted by a musical male voice.
"Oh, I'm sorry. It must have been reflex."
Orion automatically recoiled. Just who was that?
"So sorry! It must be so creepy to find a third person suddenly travelling with you. But... I didn't want to be a nuisance, so... I did it quietly..." Lauren and Orion both could have sworn that, despite the darkness, they saw the stranger grin. Lauren shivered.
"No, it's fine, no big deal," Lauren stated. "It's just, you know, effin' creepy." She emphasized the last two words. Amen to that, Orion thought to himself.
"My, my. Such language! No need to be so harsh! I'm friendly. See? My name's Felix~" He sang the last sentence.
"Okay. Nice to meet you, Felix, but could you, you know, back off a bit until we get to the end of this cave? I don't want to be constantly feeling around only to-" Orion cut himself off. "...Well, you know. Anyway, let's go."
Not even five minutes later, and they were welcomed by the light at the end of the tunnel.
"Thank you Arceus!" Lauren said, dashing out of the confined place. "I never want to go there again!"
Orion shook his head. She was an odd girl, flipping her opinions left and right, deciding against her previous decisions in a heartbeat the moment something difficult comes up. And by difficult, he meant realistic misfortunes like getting lost in a cave or encountering terrorist when you decide to go on a foolish adventure like this. Why did he tag along again?
The two had completely forgotten about Felix, who happily skipped out of the cave. "Oh, joys~ Finally we're out of that confined place!"
Orion raised an eyebrow at the man's appearance. He was tall, sickly skinny, pale, and wore a purple coat over what appeared to be a black suit. Even odder, atop his slick black hair was a purple and black jester hat with little gold bells at the end of them, and a slasher smile. Orion couldn't explain it, but he felt a very strong desire to get away from the man as soon as possible.
"Let's go Lauren," Orion said, grabbing the girl by her white scarf and pulling her away.
"Ow! Orion! Let go! You're choking me! Augh!"
Orion looked back at Felix only once to see the man playfully smirking. He sped up running, Lauren grabbing her scarf from her neck the whole way.
"Gasp... gasp... Orion... why were... you..." Lauren collapsed behind a large tree after being let go of. She looked up at Orion desperately with an expression that fitted a little kid who got a punishment they didn't think they deserved.
"Something wasn't right with that guy," he simply stated, his calm demeanor once again returning to him. "And to think he was silently following us in that pitch-black cave the whole time..." He shivered violently.
"Yeah, he was really creepy... but he's gone now, so let's keep going." Orion nodded, completely forgetting about wanting to snatch the Eternal Orb back.
After about an hour of fighting through sharp weeds and vines and passing the same trees over and over, they finally arrived at a small shrine. There was a tall, stone pillar on top of a grey concrete road about five yards long. Weeds sprouted up from the cracks of the road, and mold grew on the pillar. A soft green light emitted from the pillar It was unmistakeable. It was the Relic Stone.
Lauren and Orion slowly approached the thing, mesmerized by the etereal green light. Lauren reached under her blue beret hat and pulled out the Eternal Orb. Ah, so that's where she was hiding it, Orion thought, amused.
Just then, three large men ran into the area and tackled Lauren to the ground. Lauren struggled and fought, but to no avail. Flair had pried the Eternal Orb from her delicate hands with his large, muscular ones and jumped off.
"Arceusdamnit..." Lauren muttered, looking up at her assailant. Her eyes widened. They were the three that she and Eleanor had spied on! The resemblance was uncanny.
"Well, who would have thought the little thief would be so foolish to return the orb to the number one place one would expect it to be..." Drisle said dangerously, as Flair slipped the orb into his hands. Orion looked down at Lauren and gave her an insulting glare.
"Don't even say it..." Lauren muttered to him. Orion shrugged.
"We didn't count on having someone steal this thing, that's for sure..." Volson muttered, removing from his belt what looked like a giant gun. Upon seeing the gun, Lauren jumped to her feet.
"Suspicious people!" The three looked at the girl incredulously. "Yeah, I'm talking to you! You give back that thing that you stole... or we make you!" Lauren was shouting at them, pointing a finger in an attempt to appear intimidating.
"You had to go for the cheesy line..." Orion muttered. Lauren shot him a glare, but didn't otherwise complain. Her hand immediately went to her belt to grab a pokéball, but stopped.
Volson had shot her hand with an electric bullet.
She screamed. She cried. She fell to the ground. It hurt, oh, it hurt. Lauren was far too incapacitated to call out her pokémon. Orion acted quickly. He grabbed the first pokéball from his belt, threw it, only to have Volson shoot his electric gun at the sphere. It fell to the ground, broken. Orion immediately grabbed another, but was given the same treatment as Lauren. He fell to the ground, and grunted in agony.
"All three of us have read up on what happens when brats get involved with their pokémon," Volson's tone was venomous. His gun smoked and smelled of burnt flesh. "We can't have that, nope."
Drisle stepped in. "Clichéd as it may sound, you two know wayyy too much about our organization. Don't worry. We'll make it quick..." Drisle snickered, pulling out a grenade while Volson readied his electic gun once again.
Drisle's voice was the last thing they heard before blacked out.
"Goodbye, Pokémon Trainers."
Another cliff hanger for you folks. Sorry I didn't get too many OCs in this one, but I'll make up for it. Seriously, I have to get the plot going.
Credits:
Orion Quicksilver - Magmoor