I have returned!
Oh, but I like this chapter number. It has 5 and 7 in it! Awesome numbers!

The beginning of this chapter is your Johto-centric history lesson for today, the majority of it (with the exception of some changes) directly from the GSC games.

Enjoy!

Chapter 57
The Crystal Bell

The most renowned feature of Ecruteak City, the heart of Johto's culture, is obvious at first glance. The Brass and Tin Towers, ancient nine-tier pagodas built roughly seven-hundred years ago, were erected to foster friendship and hope between Pokémon and people. It was said that two powerful avian Pokémon took roost of each tower not long after their completion; a bird of silver feathers, Lugia, on the Brass Tower, and a rainbow-feathered bird, Ho-Oh, on the Tin Tower.

However, one-hundred-fifty years ago, the Brass Tower was struck by lightning, and a fire raged for three days before being put out by a sudden downpour. Along with the fall of the Brass Tower, Ho-Oh and Lugia apparently left and never returned, even when the Brass Tower was rebuilt. Three years ago, yet another fire burned down the Brass Tower, sparing merely a single tier. How the fire started remains a mystery. The locals refused to rebuild under the excuse that it was unsafe to do so; but it's possible they secretly feared that the Brass Tower would simply burn down again. Thus the Brass Tower, a shadow of itself, has been left abandoned, gaining the nickname "Burned Tower" for its tragic and fiery history.

But Ho-Oh and Lugia were not the only powerful legendary Pokémon said to take residence in Ecruteak City. A trio of beasts, described as appearing feline or canine, also existed; they were Suicune, Entei, and Raikou, whose myths claim they had once raced around Ecruteak City. They're revered as reincarnations of nature; the northern wind, the volcano, and lightning, respectively. Suicune, however, had been said to show expertise in manipulating water as well, exalted often for its ability to purify any tainted body of water.

It is believed that Suicune, Entei, and Raikou are under direct command of Ho-Oh, who is said to be constantly flying in the sky for the past one-hundred-fifty years. What Ho-Oh is waiting for is where the tale splits according to opinion, though by very little; some say Ho-Oh awaits a Trainer who can touch the souls of Pokémon, others claim it is waiting to challenge a truly powerful or pure Trainer, while many believe that Ho-Oh will return to the Tin Tower when humanity and Pokémon can coincide with one another.

Hence, the ideal of Pokémon and people coexisting in peace has remained an endearing virtue in Ecruteak City for over seven centuries, supported by the myths and legends that make up the city's past.

This was the bulk of what Marina had learned about Ecruteak City over the time she had spent being an apprentice Kimono Girl.

Marina, for the fifth time that day alone, had taken out her orange notebook to read all that she had discovered in the past two months. She was grinning, not even caring that her diary was out in the open as she finished changing out of her kimono in the back of the Ecruteak Dance Theater.

This was her final day at the theater, mainly because the Mahogany Pokémon Gym had finally reopened. Details about the Gym Leader—and his or her condition, when Marina took the rumors into consideration—were scarce, but the important fact was that he was accepting challenges again. Marina had said a farewell to all the Kimono Girls, and all that was left to do was pick up the backpack next to her and travel through the short strip of Route 42 to reach Mahogany Town.

However, Marina's mind currently focused on the diary and its contents, even as she put the book away. It was surprisingly easy to draw information from the locals, who were more than happy to spill whatever lore they knew; a far more effective method than, say, when Marina snuck into the Ruins of Alph in the middle of the night with an unwilling companion.

Though the visit to the ruins did prove fruitful in its own small way; trapdoors and swarming Unown seemed to be common in the Ruins of Alph. In order to find out for certain, she began asking people about the Ruins of Alph.

What she got was reassuring. In general, the Unown hold a strange interest in thoughts produced by people. With their psychic powers, they've sometimes created illusions and ghost-like people as a result of the Unown harmlessly feeding off of a person's mind. But curiously, they cannot be ordered to do so and often cause trouble in the ruins because of it.

With this knowledge in her possession, Marina's anxiety settled. It even made her wonder, with a chilling start, whether she had actually seen Kenta at all on that fateful Halloween night. Perhaps he was an illusion, despite how real he seemed to be. It was a thrilling thought, because that meant everything between her and Kenta was perfectly fine after all, as the event at Cianwood's Pokémon Center seemed to prove. Yet she was at unease to believe it right away.

Even so, important questions were left unanswered. The whereabouts of the Neo Ball that had been involved during that Friday night, the unusual and discomforting feeling she felt around her Lapras, the dreams involving the girl named Maya, and the black choker that may possibly be linked to the dreams—all were enigmas. To counter some entirely, the black choker no longer bothered her. Despite the fact that she still couldn't take it off, her nightmarish dreams had stopped soon after she had left Cianwood City. At times, she even forgot about its existence altogether. The same could be considered for the Neo Ball, as much as she missed it dearly.

Upon second thought, Marina found—hoped, actually—that there was no reason to pursue those questions any longer. Perhaps it was all a ploy by the Unown, who finally decided to leave her alone when Marina revisited the Ruins of Alph. The idea was tempting; since that night, everything had slowed down, and the things that weighed on her everyday thoughts were slowly receding into the back of her mind.

Normalcy, without Marina's knowing, had smoothly slipped back into her life.

It's almost boring, she thought. She picked up her bag and slung the straps over her shoulders, adjusting her jacket's badge-bearing collar as she entered the theater's main room.

Business that day in the theater so far had been slow, as the large amount of empty tables proved. Naoko nodded as she passed Marina, who mimicked her and waved with glee. Yet before she could walk halfway toward the exit, one of the customers called her out.

"Hey, you! Pigtailed girl!"

Marina let out a single meek laugh; she was slowly getting accustomed to being identified by her unique twin ponytails. But she blinked in surprise when she turned to the speaker; simultaneously, her even normalcy teetered just a tad.

Two tables away was a young man in a plum purple suit beckoning her with a wave of his gloved hand. It was Eusine, the Suicune hunter she had met twice before. But he was not alone; in fact, another familiar face was beside him: Morty, the Ecruteak City Gym Leader. Morty, appearing casually comfortable in his cozy, black and white attire and plum-purple scarf, simply greeted the girl with a nod as Marina approached.

"What a coincidence to have met you here! Forgive me, but your name has slipped my mind again," Eusine told her without even an ounce of embarrassment. "What was it again? Marin? Maria?"

"Marina."

"Ah, yes! That's what it was. Why don't you sit down with us? I have something I want to give you."

"Really?" Marina's curious eyes glanced at both him and Morty before she sat in the seat opposite of them. "What?"

Eusine held up a hand to silence her, and with a sudden movement pulled out a small round object from up his sleeve. The glittering sphere, transparent but bearing a strong bluish hue, was held by a small chain. As it appeared in view, it made a rather unsettled tingle as if it were not comfortable with the person holding it.

Marina leaned closer. "It's a bell?"

"Yes, it's called the Crystal Bell," he explained as he dropped it into Marina's hands. He seemed rather happy to get it off him, as his suave smile hinted. Marina, intrigued, looked closely at the smooth and clear complexity of the bell's surface.

"I had no idea bells could be made of crystal, too." Although she said that, something about it seemed as if she had seen it before; a similar feeling like she had experienced with Silver, though not nearly as clear. It was like the comforting familiarity that the Neo Ball had provided her, but only in the nostalgia the bell brought. Suddenly, Marina smiled and held it by the chain, ringing it once.

To her surprise, her ears were not met by a tired tone, but a light—almost fragile—and beautiful chime from the bell as it bounced.

"Oh, wow! It sounds so pretty!" she said.

Eusine immediately appeared taken aback. "How did you do that?" he demanded.

The girl blinked, her smile frozen on her face as she rung the Crystal Bell again. "I just move it around, like a regular bell."

He maintained a serious stare—at the bell, not at Marina—but eventually he relaxed and crossed his arms. Containing a stern stubbornness, he finally shut his eyes with nod. "Yes, I suppose I was. After all, it's only a normal bell."

Morty chuckled.

"What are you laughing at, Morty?" Eusine snapped at him. "It is just a normal bell. And I'm not going to believe a single word you have to say otherwise!"

Morty, not intimidated, shook his head. "All right, you don't have to repeat yourself."

At this, Marina tilted her head. But the gesture went unnoticed as the tension between the two loosened. Eusine, his arms still crossed, breathed a rough sigh as Morty focused his attention back on the girl.

"I've seen a couple of your performances on stage, Marina. For an apprentice, you blend in fairly well."

She giggled. "Thanks. They helped me train because they needed an Espeon for their recitals, so that's how I repaid them."

"I see. But I'm surprised you're still here. You know that the Mahogany Gym has just reopened, don't you?"

"Yup, I was just about to leave to go to there," Marina replied.

"The Gym Leader there uses Ice-type Pokémon, and he is very experienced. I wish you luck."

Marina nodded. She shifted her gaze to Eusine, who watched their conversation with fleeting frustration. A sudden, and incredibly obvious, realization whipped up in her mind.

If anyone knows secrets about the Legendary Beasts, it'd be these two, she thought carefully. She fiddled with the bell in her hand, striking an innocent smile as she again tilted her head.

"So why are you here, Eusine? Did you find a lead on Suicune?"

The word "Suicune" caught Eusine's attention more than his own name did. His face brightened, and his previous grudge melted away to his swift elegance.

"Why, of course," he exclaimed, as if it were an obvious fact. It probably was. "In fact, I have a gut feeling that something brilliant will happen here in Ecruteak that involves the wonderful Suicune."

"Really? How can you tell?" Marina asked.

"Instinct!" he concluded. "And what's why I've brought Morty here with me today. When that moment comes, he'll be here to prove my prediction."

In response, Morty let out a typical sigh, quiet so as to not catch Eusine's attention. "Yes, he's right," he agreed.

Marina maintained an engaged expression, even though she felt very tempted to laugh at Morty's reaction. She had to wonder how many times Morty had to leave his Gym post because of Eusine's so-called predictions. Instead, she questioned the elegant man once more.

"Speaking of Suicune, do you know anything about Suicune that isn't well-known? Like, any secrets?"

"As you know, I am an expert," Eusine answered briskly, "And as an expert who has searched for Suicune for over ten years, I have learned an overabundant amount about the beautiful beast. For example!" He flicked his wrist to serve as a dramatic, attention-drawing gesture. "Suicune holds the highest status amongst the Legendary Beasts, bearing a close bond with the ancient bird of rainbow feathers, Ho-Oh. Not only that, but I've found that Suicune also seems to have a cooperative bond with the Pokémon Unown. Did you know that?"

"What, really?" Marina gasped, leaning over the table a little. "I didn't know that! What kind of cooperative bond?"

"I'm sorry to say that it was vaguely referenced. But I have reason to believe there must be a connection of some sort."

Marina's persisting intent wavered a bit. She sat up straight again, loosening her posture as she thought. In her once-had dreams, there was the mute girl, the crowd of Unown, and the shadowy Suicune. It was too much of a coincidence to ignore. But what connection could the girl have to the Unown, or to Suicune?

Morty seized the opportunity to speak. "You seem to be very interested in the Legendary Beasts, Marina. I've heard you ask people about them before, the last times I've been here."

"Hm? Yeah, I do." Her stomach began to twist in familiar discomfort. Marina waited a few moments, but her response left no open reply except for maybe the dreaded, "Why are you so interested?" Her answer to such a question lurched on two sides; the first hesitant and wanting secrets kept hidden, the other yearning to share and seek advice.

But the question came almost immediately afterward; perhaps Morty's superb skills in Ghost-type Pokémon really did allow him to develop a form of ESP. "Is there any reason why?"

Behind her blank smile, the girl gently bit her lip. A part of her reassured that Eusine and Morty would be of great aid—a good investment of information and allies, something unattainable by keeping to herself like Silver had told her in December. The pessimistic side, in fierce response, battered the idea down with doubts that the men would not believe her, or that they wouldn't keep it a secret.

There came, as a result, a compromise. She would explain her experience in the Brass Tower, but leave out anything before she got there.

Marina uttered, "Well... I was the one that woke up the Legendary Beasts."

Their responses were predictable, wearing a fusion of interest, disbelief, and confusion for a few tense seconds. Morty was the first to respond.

"What do you mean?"

"Just...just that. I woke them up."

"Yes, we heard that, but elaborate for us," Eusine urged.

"Okay," she paused for a moment to gather her thoughts and her wits, "When I was in the Brass Tower's basement all those months ago, I saw three statues next to each other. They were statues of Suicune, Entei, and Raikou. But, when I got close and touched the Suicune statue, suddenly...suddenly, all three of them started glowing. And when they stopped, they weren't statues anymore. They were the real things! They left right afterward, but I was so exhausted that I just fell asleep. When I woke up, that's when I met you two."

Marina spent a moment in silence, her sight taking refuge to her lap. But she looked back up to brave Eusine and Morty's reactions. Strangely enough to her, any signs of skepticism were wiped out from the both of them, replaced with a keen sense of interest. In fact, it was difficult to discern which one was putting forth more thought into her confession.

"...Incredible! You weren't dreaming, were you?" asked Eusine, barely able to hold back his volume.

Marina shook her head at once. "No, I swear I'm not lying! I saw it with my own eyes."

He grasped his chin in his hand, glancing from the table to Marina in a thoughtful and excited manner. "That's so curious! Suicune, Entei, and Raikou may have been in a deep sleep, but they're said to be unseen in that state. That may be why Suicune is interested in you, Marina, and enough to even show itself to you...!"

"It's not just that, but it's actually very believable," Morty said. "There hadn't been any credible sighting of the Legendary Beasts for the past three years. But since the day we met you in the Brass Tower, the sightings have exploded in number and authenticity. I've always wondered if you had a connection to them, somehow." He eyed Marina with a hint of satisfaction, a silent praise that he then vocalized. "I'm glad you told us. It must have taken some courage on your part; you look relieved to lift that weight off your shoulders."

She was, somewhat. To comply with and emphasize the Gym Leader's point, Marina sighed and smiled. "Yeah. I've been keeping it to myself for a while," her eyes shiftily turned away, "But I'd feel a lot better if you guys didn't tell anyone that I told you."

"Certainly," Eusine accepted boldly.

"I wouldn't mind, but I might have to admit that you were involved. The story is less believable if it came anonymously," Morty said, unafraid of being truthful. "Are you fine with that?"

"Um...yeah." Though she wasn't fond of the idea, she knew he was right.

As if sensing Marina's hidden unease, Morty's laid-back eyes widened with inquiry. "Is there anything else you have to say?"

"No." Her answer was instantaneous, which she regretted. Marina held her tongue for a moment, but irresistibly added, "Well, there is one thing, but it's not really related."

"All right, ask away."

"Is it possible for a Pokémon or a human ghost can be trapped inside something like...I don't know, an accessory like a brush or a choker?"

Morty's eyebrows rose. "Do you think you're being haunted?"

"No, no! Nothing like that," Marina reassured. "I'm just curious since I hear about it all the time in ghost stories."

Actually, I don't know anymore, she inwardly admitted. Maya's been gone for months now.

He seemed to chuckle at her response. "I see. It's certainly possible; I once encountered the spirit of a deceased Pokémon trapped within a Poké Ball."

Wrenching its way into the conversation was a peculiar electronic ringing, which was wiggling between urgency and bouncy cheer. Marina froze and looked at both of them, knowing that the unfamiliar song wasn't coming from the PokéGear around her neck.

Eusine sprung to his feet, silencing his pager. "I knew it! There's been a Suicune sighting!"

Marina gasped and held her Crystal Bell tighter. "Really? Where—?"

But before she could finish uttering the single-worded questions, Eusine took off.

"I told you! Ha ha ha!" he called to Morty with a hearty laugh. His short white cape flapped like a flag in hurricane-force winds as he forced himself through the exit, vanishing when Marina and Morty had just begun tailing him.

By the time they got to the porch outside the Ecruteak Dance Theater, Eusine was nowhere in sight. This was certainly something to say, as the streets had merely a thin flow of pedestrians. The patient winter breeze was waiting to greet them, bringing a refreshingly cold sensation. Below, at the bottom of the stairs, a cluster of middle-aged woman conversed amongst themselves wrapped in coats and scarves.

"Wow, he's fast," Marina said.

"It's no use; he's long gone," Morty commented, scouting out the area. As he expected, the search was in vain; Eusine proved to be faster than a Rapidash when there was any indication that Suicune was apparently within a one-mile radius.

The pretty chiming of the Crystal Bell yanked his attention back to Marina, who rung it with a smile. The bell shimmered brilliantly in the daytime light, even though the sky was overcast with telltale signs of wintry weather.

"So are you going to chase after Eusine? Or are you going to leave?" he asked.

"There's no way I can catch up with him now. But I don't know... I think I'm going to visit the Tin Tower before I leave," the young girl replied, making eye contact as she shook the playful Crystal Bell once more.

"Really...Why?"

Marina shrugged, smiling still. "I don't know. I guess I just want to see it up close one last time."

I could ask the monks in the Tin Tower about the Legendary Beasts too, while I'm at it, she added in her thoughts. They might know something interesting.

At that moment, entirely by eerie coincidence, a lady sluggishly sprinted over to the group of gossiping women. Her voice, heightened by the adrenaline of excitement, was booming as she spoke, "Have you heard the news? Apparently something's happening at the Tin Tower, but the monks aren't letting anyone in!"

Just as her peers raised their voices in disbelief, Marina and Morty again turned to one another. Even the calm Gym Leader yielded an expression of surprise, as if he were reconsidering which one of them was the actual psychic.

Marina, quite stunned, stared blankly at him. "I think we really need to visit the Tin Tower now."

Morty nodded with a determined frown. "I agree."

I agree too!
For some reason, this chapter feels a little boring. The next chapter feels a bit boring as well. Maybe it's just me?

And one more thing! The bell that the protagonist receives in Crystal Version is called the Clear Bell. However, since this bell is a tiny bit different, it'll be called the Crystal Bell. It's an obvious name too; easy to remember.

Until next time, my dear readers, where some old ties are briefly reconnected...