"I did not know you could learn Explosion or Self-Destruct."
Ash skulked, slightly crispy from the morning training. "You sure that was Self-Destruct, Pikachu? I thought they knocked out Pokémon that used them
." He and his friends were walking into town after a quick bit of sparring.
"That's just a thing in video games and tactical simulators, like the Stadium series." Brock said from the back, a sack full of corn tied on his back. "Pokémon that do that cause a burst of energy to erupt from their bodies and they suffer an intense physical strain as a result. Some handle it better than others. Games and classes just short hand it to fainting or a knockout to make it easier to understand and predict. Often if the Pokémon is already heavily injured, they'd go down anyway."
"Still," Pikachu shook his head. "You're having trouble using a move again. Isn't Hidden Power supposed to be usable by everyone?"
Ash nodded his head. The scroll the Rockets had given him was a training manual, rather than a scroll that just taught a move by reading it. Unfortunately, that meant that the Riolu was unable to figure out what his major roadblock was this time. Every time he went and tried to use Hidden Power, to draw upon the power inside of him and use it to surround his body, something went wrong and everyone within ten feet got blown up, including himself.
"We'll figure it out!" Pikachu promised, a smirk on his face. "As if we're going to let something like this stop us!"
Ash smiled back. Pikachu always knew what to say to him when he was down, even back before he understood the electric mouse.
"Yeah, maybe they have something in the Hall of Memories that could help?" the Riolu suggested. After all, it had an extremely large library, they had to have something that could help; maybe an actual teaching scroll?
"Ash, have you given anything thought on whether or not you want to… make that donation?" Misty said from the back.
Ash nodded solemnly. A part of him actually wanted to contribute, after seeing the stories and events others added over the years. He and Pikachu and the others had gone through so much. Some of those memories, the experiences he and his friends had lived through, deserved to be shared. It shouldn't just be seeing Ho-Oh and making a lasting friendship with an electrical mouse; others needed to see the time Pidgeot evolving to defeat a Fearow to save a bunch of Pidgey, or the time Bulbasaur decided he did not want to evolve and learned Solar Beam instead, or really just… anything that he and his friends might have done!
The only problem was that he was human.
"If there's a way to hide my identity, yeah. I would," Ash admitted. And then thought about it more. "And maybe hide any other humans in my memories." After all, there was no telling how the Curator would react to learning about his origins or the people he had met.
"The rewards are substantial," Staryu's light glimmered. "The Curator offered a payment, though it is also possible he is not offering a mere monetary sum."
Misty frowned. "Staryu, think we should follow Ash, just in case?"
"I believe we should," the starfish replied. "There are no downsides to merely accompanying him."
"Thanks," Ash nodded back to them. It was
Misty furrowed her brow, continuing to think "But, Ash, do you trust him to not just take it from you?"
"The Curator seemed like a nice guy, at least when I met him," Ash shrugged. Misty had a good point. There was every chance that the Curator could hold him hostage and steal the memory, but the Riolu did feel the Marowak wouldn't do that. "Also, I don't know how he'd steal it."
"Fine." Misty nodded her head.. "There's… something that just bugs me about the guy and his brother. Maybe I can talk to him about that."
For some reason Charizard snickered as if someone told a funny joke.
"Is there something funny, Charizard?" Ash asked.
"No," the dragon said firmly, though Ash could feel there was a lie there.
Pikachu scowled at him, but said nothing. It was rather unfortunate for Ash to learn how two of his friends seemed to dislike each other so much.
"How much would a memory of Ho-Oh be worth?" Brock questioned. "Like, it's obvious the Pokémon here revere the Legendaries, but what's that translated into money?"
"No idea," Ash admitted.
"If Squirtle were here, he'd probably have a good estimate," Bulbasaur spoke. "If not, he could find out pretty quickly."
"Maybe we'll run into him," Pikachu shrugged.
"Can you watch Togepi for me?" Misty asked Goldeen.
"That I can do, Mistress" said the levitating fish.
"Aw, but Moooom!" Togepi gave her bright watery eyes.
"It's only for a little while!" Misty promised. "Besides, you'll probably be bored waiting around with us talking and negotiating."
Togepi frowned, still unwilling.
Goldeen hovered over the little walking egg.
Ash smirked, remembering how her own mother would treat him whenever grown up business came up.
"It looks like you guys are going to spend your time in the keep," Brock commented and shook his head. "I… don't think I'm interested in going back for a while. And we need to take advantage of the festivities while we can. Cooked food prices are extremely inflated because of all of the Pokémon here. We can probably charge plenty for simple rice dishes and steamed corn in these conditions."
A couple of other Pokémon nodded from behind him, including Charizard and Onix. Simply put, not everyone was impressed with the Keep's library for one reason or another.
"It's okay, Brock. I think Pikachu and I could handle this," Ash said. Pikachu gave everyone a smug look for confirmation.
"And anything they can't handle, Staryu and I will soak them in so much water, they'll change type!" Misty declared.
"Mistress, I regret to inform you that neither you nor I know Water Sport."
Everyone let out a light snigger.
The group then parted ways. Some simply went to explore the library or the museum proper like they did yesterday. Others went to set up a small food stall that serviced the other guests. For Ash, Misty, Pikachu, and Staryu, they had an appointment with a certain Marowak.
Walking into the museum gallery, Ash could only marvel at the collection before him. Some of these statues and paintings, he actually had seen some of the memories associated with them. Such as what looked to be a banner with a Charizard's skull was once held by a Mankey who became a general as a Primape or the signet ring that was awarded to a heroic Pachirisu for saving a town. It actually made Ash wonder that if he left something behind here, how would people remember him?
Misty found the Curator kneeling in front of an altar full of Marowak skulls, like the kind they would wear back in Kanto.
Even Ash knew that it was some kind of prayer, though he was unsure on whether or not it was okay to interrupt him.
Noting that the dark scaled Marowak was unmoving for several minutes, the Riolu nervously posed a question. "Curator… Dust, was it? Who are you praying to?"
Misty gave the Riolu a sour look.
The Curator slowly turned his head and inclined his posture towards Ash. He didn't seem upset. "My ancestors, so that I might seek guidance and wisdom, Riolu. We could always use more." He brought a claw to his chin. "I take it, have you considered my offer?"
"I have a bunch of questions, like if I could limit them in some way," the Riolu answered. "Those memories, there are things that I may not want to share." Such as being human.
The Marowak's eyes focused on Ash, as if gauging his intent. Then, after a minute of thinking, he slowly nodded his head. "Doable, though it might degrade the value of the memory if you omit key details, but you are hardly the first donor to request anonymity."
Maybe this would turn out okay? And hey, it would be something to tell Zorua and Professor about. Both of them would love the idea of Ash contributing to what was essentially a big library.
"Claydol," Curator Dust called out. "We have another donor! Can you please follow us?"
By your command. A Claydol levitated over them and spoke to their minds.
"So, Ash forgot to ask about this, but what exactly are you paying us for this memory?" Misty called out.
Oh, right. Ash did forget to ask what the payment was.
"Something you may find suitable." The Marowak turned back to the others. "But we can discuss that away from prying eyes." He rose from the altar and took several steps to the back of the room. Opening a large door that was guarded by two large Golurks, he then stepped down a staircase that led dowards.
Ash wondered if he should be more skeptical about following an unknown Pokémon down. But Curator Dust did not feel deceptive.
"That seemed easier than I thought," Pikachu commented as he walked forward.
"May I remind you that we still do not know what exactly the memory extraction process entails," Staryu reminded them. "Though, it is safe to assume Claydol, perhaps a Psychic-type in general is necessary."
Accepting that, Ash followed the Marowak down the stairs.
At the very bottom was yet another museum, though sparser than the one above yet filled with a collection of a with a more… dangerous bent.
Ornate bladed weapons were placed on pedestals, each promising violence with every slash. Shattered Looplets adorned various plinths, whilst strange contraptions with no discernible function littered the floor. A strange looking Pokéball stood on a platform, one with a dark purple shell and with bars that resembled a cage; its inscription read "slave ball." There was even the ruined husk of an old fighter jet suspended at the roof, obvious to Ash that it was beyond repair.
"What is this place?" Pikachu voiced the question in everyone's mind.
"This, my guests, is the restricted area, where only a privileged few are allowed to gaze upon," the Curator explained. "It contains the truly valuable and dangerous artifacts the Clan has gathered over the many generations … On occasion, we also create duplicates for observation and keep the genuine articles in this area."
Ash suddenly felt very nervous, especially as he walked under an exploded naval mine that had somehow ended up here.
"Suddenly, I'm really glad I did not bring Togepi with us," Misty muttered as she looked at a graphic painting depicting one Dragonite standing over a bleeding Tyranitar who lay on a staircase. It did not look like the sort of thing that mothers approved of their kids seeing.
"Why are there so many human things here?" Ash asked as he pointed towards the aircraft husk.
"Because it is worth collecting. Sometimes, castoffs from the outside world make their way here, often buried in the sea. Often, they are interesting to observe, even if we don't necessarily understand how they operate," the Marowak explained. He then pointed ahead. "The memory extraction chamber is at the end."
Curator Dust then took the four other Pokémon to a small chamber at the very back of the museum.
The rectangular room resembled something like a temple with an altar at the end of it. Glyphs and sigils marked the floor around that central palce. Lit braziers flanked both sides of the altar, whilst a red carpet led towards it. Orange and red tapestries hung from both sides of the wall, each bearing the names like Silt, Stone, Salt, and Sand, perhaps the names of ancestors?
The Curator directed Claydol to fetch something. Then the Marowak went towards a drawer and took out a single reddish-orange gemstone. "I present to you, Riolu, the Hyacinth Emera. Its spiritual meaning invokes Wisdom. I will grant this to you in exchange for your memory of Ho-Oh, for your contribution will let us gain insight into the gods."
Ash blinked. "Uh…" He looked at the gemstone with a bit of apprehension when he realized that that was what he was being offered.
"You're going to give him an Emera!?" The Buizel shouted, a clear annoyance in her voice. "Over a memory?"
"Ash…" Pikachu leaned over to his trainer. "I don't think this is a good idea anymore."
Ash nodded slowly. If Emeras were basically Gym Badges in Citrine, then what Curator Dust basically offered him was a Gym Badge for giving him something. While he had been willing to accept Gym Badges because he did something to help the Gym Leader, such as making Sabrina not feel so lonely anymore or saving Misty's sister, this almost felt like he was just being given one. Plus, after his defeat in the Indigo League, he had to wonder… did he actually earn his badges?
The Curator's eyes narrowed. "You refuse?" his tone became dark.
"Wait, just a minute here!" a Cubone came rushing into the room. His voice raised as he went to face down the Marowak "Dust, what have I told you about giving away the Emeras!? We're already a laughing stock, Brother!"
Curator Dust crossed his arms. "These Maiju claimed to have seen Ho-Oh! If no one else should be worthy, these two certainly are. They should be rewarded justly!"
"I don't care!" Cubone spat back. "They could meet and have tea with the Forces of Nature and be the Champion for one of the gods for all the good it should do!"
"And just when was the last time you expanded our knowledge, Clay!?" Marowak spat back. "You fail your sacred duty, Brother!"
Ash blinked, upon seeing the two go at it, complaining to one another over what sounded like a whole mess of issues.
Returning, Claydol brought a small stone tablet and deposited it near the altar. It then levitated over to Ash and his friends. Apologies, it intoned. They have been like this ever since their parents passed away. It may be a while before they're willing to talk to anyone else.
"This looks familiar," Staryu commented. The gem on his body pointed right at them.
Misty shrugged. "It does, but I can't quite put my finger on it," She frowned. "They did this yesterday, too. I've seen this before, but I can't remember where."
Staryu deflated slightly, as if disappointed. "I suppose it might be a problem."
Ash did have that same feeling, too. And for a moment, he couldn't figure it out either. But then he remembered: Emeras were Gym Badges. "Uh, Misty? I've seen this before somewhere else, too."
"Yes?" The Buizel inclined her head.
Ash twiddled his fingers, nervous that what he said next might upset Misty. "Curator Dust was basically, giving us a Gym Badge for… doing chores? Or uh… going to see a show?"
Misty's eyes widened suddenly and Ash could feel a shift coming from the Buizel. She did not move for a moment, instead fixated on the two brothers as they continued to bicker. Then, suddenly, it was like Misty engulfed in rage.
Misty walked over to the two brothers as they talked about finances.
"Was that the right idea?" Pikachu elbowed him.
"I don't know!" Ash said. "I just thought that Misty deserved to know, because this situation was so much like with her and her sisters!"
Regardless, Ash followed the angered Buizel.
Misty did not know Scald and yet she steamed.
That Marowak had the gall to issue a badge because of bribery! That just made her furious. He must have been too lazy to do the battles as he was supposed to as well!
Suddenly, it became very obvious why Charizard had been laughing yesterday; that lizard hadn't even been around when Ash first met his sisters and yet even he knew.
"You neglect our birthright!"
"From where I stand, you neglect your responsibilities!"
Misty did not know which of the two brothers said what; she didn't care. She was really tempted to soak them both in a water gun, but she had enough clarity of mind to know that that was a bad idea when not in her house. Instead, she opted for something less destructive. "HEY!" she shouted.
Both the Cubone and the Marowak turned towards her.
Misty took a deep breath, the shout draining her more than she thought.
Staryu floated over to her side. He did not offer any words, instead standing by in case the two brothers attacked her.
"Look," Misty began. "I don't know what your exact situation is, but are you really going to get anywhere by yelling at each other?"
"And what do you know of our plight?" Curator Dust questioned.
"For once, I agree with my brother!" Clay spoke next. "What do you know?"
Misty sighed. This was not was not what she had in mind to get them to stop fighting each other.
"I have sisters, older sisters at that. When our parents died, we all inherited the property they left behind." The specifics did not need to be mentioned.
Both of the reptilians eyed her with interest.
"Go on," said the Curator.
"Did you get along with them?" said the Cubone.
"No," Misty admitted. "They grew up close together and I always felt like an outsider to them because I was that much younger than them. They would always do things together, and had the same interests, but I… didn't. They would often tease me, but it wasn't too big of a deal when our parents were alive. But one day, my parents passed away, leaving us to take care of what they left behind."
This seemed to cause both lizards to look at each other for a moment.
Misty felt light headed, a swell of old emotions coming to forefront. She didn't want to focus on old wounds, but the two brothers reminded her of her own circumstances.
The Marowak's eyes narrowed, focusing on her. "And do you think your siblings are adequate caretakers of your collective inheritance?"
Misty shook her head. "I'm afraid of going home one day and finding out that our home has been repossessed or something." After all, if they kept doing what they've been doing, sooner or later, the gym would be shut down.
Clay scoffed. "Perhaps there's a lesson in there, wouldn't you say? Older sibling failing to treasure the inheritance."
"For you, maybe," Dust spat back.
"Point is," Misty grumbled, wanting to change the topic to something else other than her own familial matters. "We're not going to accept the Emera, because some of uswould like to fight in Dojo for it. So, if you want Ash's memory, can you offer something else?"
Dust looked at his younger sibling. "Is this agreeable to you, my brother?"
"I suppose I have no complaints, as it addresses my issues," said the Cubone.
Dust nodded his head and pointed his fiery staff at Ash. "Very well, then, Riolu, do you have a preferred payment?"
"Uh, not really?" said Ash as he walked over, Pikachu right behind him. "I don't really know how much this memory is worth."
"Well, I can go over a few options. Follow me," the Curator promised as he took the two of them away to negotiate further.
"If that will be all, I shall take my leave," said Clay, as he walked out of the chamber.
Misty breathed a sigh of relief, glad that those two were no longer shouting at each other.
"Misty, are you okay?" Staryu asked, dropping his nickname for her this time.
"I'm fine," said the Buizel. She eyed her starter. "Why do you ask? Is something wrong?"
"Perhaps," said the starfish. He shook himself and faced his trainer. "Misty, what are you going to do when you see your sisters once again?"
Misty frowned. It will be months at the very least before she could meet them again. What would she do? "That might depend on how badly they've been slacking off."
"Do you miss them?" said her starter.
"A little," she admitted. She called them every now and again to get a progress report back when they were in Kanto; often those calls ended because they would say something that frustrated her. Now, she almost wanted to listen to them goofing off.
Staryu's top most limb bent down, a gesture that somehow meant caution. "Misty, I know the situation here isn't fully applicable to you, but I am… concerned that it might be a glimpse into your future."
Misty narrowed her eyes.
"Misty, the two brothers have a very open dispute and it seems that there is never a word that goes between them that isn't said in anger," Staryu explained. "I can most assuredly say that, whatever your relationship with the other girls, you at least aren't enemies."
Misty frowned. Staryu had a point. Daisy, Violet, and Lily were frustrating at times, especially when they basically forced her into the role of a mermaid for one of their water shows, but that's still a far cry from whatever Dust and Clay had between them. "What do you want me to do then?"
"Just something to think about for the meantime." Staryu spun. "Perhaps, you might have a better idea of what to do, now that you are aware."
Misty sighed. It was something to think about. "Come on, I think Ash and Pikachu might need us."
Following the Curator's lead, Ash looked at the Claydol as it levitated two items onto a table.
Upon the table sat three items, each emitting a soft glow. One was a redwood staff, a pole of wood with bright and colorful engravings and a purplish gemstone on top. The other was a semi-transparent yellow orb.
"These, Riolu, Pikachu, are what I offer in exchange for a glimpse of Ho-Oh," said the Marowak as he pointed with the burning end of his staff to the table. "It is only fair that in the collection business, you trade one collector's item for another."
"What are they?" Pikachu voiced the question first.
"Neither of these objects are truly unique, but they are relatively rare and difficult to obtain, in a way, a good equivalent to what you offer me." Curator Dust then went down and pointed to the staff. "I have decided on these specific items because I felt they suited you two the most. The first item is a staff, that I feel that you could make use of the most, Riolu. I felt you might have wanted a weapon yourself. I am told it is a tool meant to channel spiritual powers like Aura more readily."
Ash nodded, understanding. He never really thought of learning how to use weapons, but Captain Kanabo had a spiked club. Maybe it was just something Fighting-types did around here.
"The other that you see a Light Ball. This is an item specifically attuned to the unique electrical characteristics of Pikachu. I assume that you could make use of this. It vastly increases the amount of voltage a Pikachu could hold."
"So, there's items only Pikachu could use?" Ash asked, interested.
"It sounds really handy!" Pikachu agreed.
The Curator nodded. "I would ask that you take one or the other."
So it ultimately came down to whether or not Ash wanted an item for himself or for Pikachu. That made it easy to pick. "Alright, so what do we have to do to donate?"
The Marowak gestured over to the altar. "As both of you share this memory, I would like you both to write it down using the chisel near the stone tablet. Simply keep the memory in your mind as you write it down. Simply focus on Ho-Oh and try to avoid describing yourselves if you want privacy."
"Is it going to be a problem if I say I don't know how to use a chisel?" Ash said as he walked over to the altar.
Marowak muttered something under his breath, ending with, "...Why does no one know how to use a chisel?" He shook his head. "Fine, write it down using the paint brush and we'll simply chisel it in afterwards."
Pikachu walked over to Ash's side, a paint brush in his paws as well. "You ready, Ash?"
Ash grabbed on to his closest friend's paw. He still had issues with the idea of selling away a memory he experienced, but at the same time, he was basically sharing it with anyone who wanted to see it.
Claydol hoved above them, its eyes glowing with a familiar psychic glow. Beginning recording procedure. Standby.
Ash felt a surge of psychic power flow into him and into the ink. He suddenly felt light headed. He remembered this sensation, it was hypnosis.
Pikachu grabbed hold of him and kept him from falling.
The Riolu turned to his friend and gave a smile.
He took a brush, tipped it with red ink, and brought it against the stone. Then without even thinking of what words to write, Ash wrote against the stone, Pikachu in turn did the same.
In this memory, we saw one of the gods…
Ash suddenly found himself transported back to that fateful moment. At that point, he had crashed Misty's bike against the muddy road, Pikachu tumbling out of the basket.
The flock of Spearow was going right at them and there was little time left.
With only his life and bravery left to him, he gave Pikachu his Pokéball and went to face the flock all by his lonesome.
Pikachu then came from behind. He climbed his back and the two were engulfed in light.
The paint brush fell from Ash's hand as a sudden jolt of pain rocked him.
Warning. Unidentified psychic block detected. Attempting bypass. Claydol intoned, his voice piercing into the Riolu's mind.
Ash went to pick up the paint brush, but his vision clouded with something different.
He found himself looking at a room full of Pokémon broken into near identical pairs as they continually beat at one another to the point of fatigue. Charizard fought against Charizard, Pikachu against Pikachu, and so on in perfectly mirrored violence. It was different from other fights he had seen; where instead of joy and challenge was nothing but exhaustion and desperation. Neither side backed down, not when life itself was on the line
From above, Ash saw two orbs of glowing light, the cause for this tragedy above.
One was a small pink feline with oversized feet compared to the rest of its body.
The other resembled that other creature, but almost seemed human in a way. His body was far taller, his eyes burned with the intensity of the storm that threatened to consume the world.
Both of them above ordinary Pokémon, they threw energy and charged at another, trading blows while the creature beneath them fought.
Ash knew that no matter what happened, they had to be stopped.
The two gods above descended and prepared one final attack.
Seeing no other option, he threw himself into the crossfire and was engulfed in light.
"Ash!" Misty's voice called out to him.
Ash found himself on his knees and breathing heavily. He did not know what he saw, nor what it meant. It felt like it was something that happened to him and not too long ago, but… he did not remember any of that happening…
Breathing heavily, the Riolu wondered if he was alive. He patted his body; he was still alive. A Riolu, but still alive.
"Ash…" Pikachu's voice came to him.
He looked up and saw his closest friend.
Pikachu dove into him, grabbing him on both arms. "You're alive!" his friends shouted into his chest. "You're alive!" he kept repeating.
"...Pikachu?" Ash said weakly. His head felt like it was going to spin off his neck.
Pikachu looked him in the eye. "I saw you die! … I… did that really happen?"
Ash did not know what to say. He had no answers.
Turning around the room, he saw that Curator Dust and Staryu tended to a fallen Claydol.
Misty loomed over Ash and Pikachu.
"What happened?" Ash asked.
"As you kept writing your memory, Claydol suddenly collapsed and kept shouting in pain," Misty frowned. "Apparently, that's not supposed to happen."
Ash turned to look at his handiwork. The stone tablet read:
In this memory, we saw one of the gods battle another. Mew, the progenitor of us all, against a creature in its likeness, Mewtwo, who threatened to flood the world.
The Riolu saw a brief glimpse of what he put into the stonework: It was the memory of him running stand between Mew and Mewtwo.
Ash wondered just what exactly he saw that it resulted in… that. That Pokémon was called Mewtwo? And he threatened to flood the world? It felt familiar, but….
Curator Dust walked over to it and stood still at the tablet for a single minute, lost in a trance. At the end, he fell onto a single knee and turned towards the Riolu. "This… was not what I was asking for," he muttered.
Ash frowned. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that would happen."
"Don't be sorry, Riolu." said the Marowak with a frown. "This isn't exactly what I was asking for, but I feel it may be just as important, if not more so. Perhaps its mystery would be revealed in time."
He gestured towards the table. "Go and collect your reward. I will tend to Claydol."
Ash nodded, with Pikachu following along.
He went to reach towards the Light Ball, but Pikachu grabbed onto his paw. "Take the staff, Ash."
"Why?"
"Because you need all the help you can get!" Pikachu exclaimed. "You're going to keep charging head long into danger, I just know it!" There were tears in his eyes. He pleaded again. "I…I just saw you die, Ash. I can't… I bear that!"
"I'm alive, Pikachu," the trainer said. He certainly felt alive and he was sure he wasn't a Ghost-type. "So, I don't know what to think about it, but I am alive right now."
"Still…"
"Plus, I don't know how the staff is supposed to help me!" Ash said back. "Besides, I don't exactly know how to use it."
Pikachu frowned.
"And if you have a Light Ball, you can help protect me, because it will mean you'll be even stronger!"
"He's got a point Pikachu, taking a staff would mean learning how to use it first," Misty interjected herself. "I'm not even sure how you're supposed to use one, but I guess the Curator knows since he's constantly carrying one."
The electric rodent crossed his arms, displeased. "Fine!"
Ash picked up the orb and felt a light hum of energy where he touched the orb. He passed it to Pikachu.
"It's awkward to hold onto." The Electric-type frowned. "So, how am I supposed to carry it? Maybe I need to use a string? Maybe Brock has a good idea."
As they mulled over that question, the Curator approached once again.
"I apologize that it did not go as smoothly as I hoped it would," the Marowak said with much frustration. He eyed the tablet Ash made and shook his head. "
"I'm sorry I couldn't get you what you wanted," Ash frowned. And then he turned towards the fallen Claydoll, with Staryu talking to it. "Is Claydol going to be alright?"
Pikachu patted him on the back, providing his presence.
"Claydol will survive, though it is likely it will be on leave for the foreseeable future." Curator Dust shook his head. "It appears a powerful Psychic-type has put a mental block on you and the strain of overcoming it resulted in Claydol's injury. He shall be fine."
"It's good to hear he'll be okay," Misty said. "Though I'm worried about why Ash has one."
Ash agreed. He did not like the idea of what he saw.
The Marowak shook his head. "I'd like to still ask for the memory of Ho-Oh, but I don't know when Claydol will be sufficiently ready to make another attempt, nor do I want to risk any of my other acolytes."
Ash felt bad for what happened to Claydol, but there was no helping it now. "If you're sure."
"I am, enjoy your bauble," said the Curator.
Ash turned to join Misty and Staryu as they left the room. But before leaving, he suddenly remembered. "Hey, uh, did a Zorua and a Squirtle come by last night? They're friends of mine and they said that they'd ask you for access to the restricted section. I was wonder if you knew whether they were."
Curator Dust shook his head. "I know of the Zorua you speak, but she did not visit me last night. Nor have I seen a Squirtle last night either."
Ash blinked.
"Wait, if they didn't see you… where are Squirtle and Zorua?" Pikachu questioned.
Suddenly, Ash had a bad feeling. If they did not go to where they said they were going, what happened to them?
Zorua was so scared.
The thunder outside rumbled, surrounding her in noise. And every strike seemed only louder than the last. She trembled at the thought of the lightning striking her.
And yet she couldn't run away. She tried to push herself through the bars of her cage, but she couldn't step through them like she could everything else. Why was she trapped? She wanted to be… somewhere else! Somewhere where there wasn't any lightning!
"Shh…" a voice from behind her soothed her worries and gave her just enough peace of mind to settle down.
Delicate claws picked Zorua up. On instinct, the little fox's body slowed as she came face to face with the one who held her. She bore white fur, though it had been mangled and torn in places very recently. Wild and savage hair tipped in red, she could have seemed monstrous in the right circumstance. She opened her mouth and with a soothing voice spoke to the young fox. "Don't worry, Zorua. Momma's here."
"Momma…" Zorua whimpered, burying her head in the Zoroark's chest.
The lightning still raged outside, but it was easier to bear now, as if muffled by distance.
"How about some stories?" Momma questioning.
Zorua's ears perked. Stories sounded fun and Momma always had the best stories.
Momma leaned her back against the walls of their cage. "Hm, what to tell you about this time…" A flash of lightning and a peal of thunder rocked the cage.
Zorua buried herself in her mother's fur once again.
Momma patted her daughter on the back. "Imagine that there was a way to talk to someone a whole world away."
Zorua tilted her head, not understanding. Though, she knew there was very little she understood; Momma on the other hand knew everything.
Momma smirked. "I guess you don't know how big the world is, just yet." She pursed her lip. "Instead, imagine there was a way to talk to someone very far away without having to leave home. Someone like your father."
"Papa?" Zorua's tail wagged. She did not know her father much. He was always so distant, always wrapped up in his job. She wanted to stay with him as much as possible.
"They're called telephones," Momma said. "And if we had one, I just know your dad would want to talk to you, every single day."
The lightning struck and thunder rumbled once again, but this time, Zorua was too enraptured with the idea of a telephone to focus on it. How did they work? Maybe Ash or Brock knew… whoever they were. She instead mustered the courage to speak, "We gonna get one?"
"I'm afraid they don't have them here, but maybe someone will invent one or find one," Momma shook her head.
"Maybe they'll invent one fast enough to tell that husband of yours to come with that ransom money!" a harsh voice spoke out, more terrifying than any lightning.
Zorua shivered in terror and went to bury herself in her mother's fur, but she couldn't look away. Momma held her tightly.
A Pangoro stepped out from the shadows, one eye hidden behind a patch of cloth. A cruel smile formed on his face. "So, how long do you think it'll take for your husband to come with my money? A week? A month?" he let out a chuckle. "Or maybe he's forgotten about you."
"He will come," Momma glared at the Pangoro. "And then I will be free of you bandits."
"Right," Pangoro shrugged.
Water spilled from the roof and onto Zorua's head.
Yet as she looked up, she noticed that the roof of her cage was solid metal with no holes in it. If that was the case, where was the water coming from?
Pangoro stepped right in front of the cage and flashed mother and child a smirk. "Oh, don't worry, I'm counting on him showing up." Let out a laugh. "And then you'll be reunited… right here!"
Momma hissed something Zorua did not understand.
More water poured over Zorua's head. Why was this happening?
An unknown Maiju stepped from the shadows and said something to Pangoro. Laughing all the way, he then left the two foxes alone.
Momma turned towards her daughter, with a sad look in her eyes. She cried tears that fell onto Zorua's face.
"Zorua…"
The fox shook her head as she stumbled to her feet, throwing away the water that soaked her fur and the reptilian paws that pressed against her chest.
"You okay?" Squirtle rose and helped her up.
"I think…" Zorua groaned. Her ached only slightly, with the faint burn marks of poison marring her fur.. There was also a cut on her belly where the Sneasel struck her, though not too deep. She was fine overall, her injuries would soon fade because of her partially spiritual composition.
On the other hand, Squirtle was purely flesh and blood; his injuries were not the sort that would merely fade. There were scratch marks and sores over his shell, a cut near his eye, and a massive bump on his cheek. He looked awful.
Gathering her thoughts, she tried to gather her thoughts. She had a strange dream that was so vivid. Was that her mother? She didn't remember her. Nor did she recall any Pangoro. Maybe if she stayed in there for longer, she'd have learned more. She squinted at Squirtle. "Did you really have to use Water Gun on me?"
"Hey, it got you awake!" Squirtle defended himself and pointed to their surroundings. "And besides, I kept the water pressure low."
Light poured in from a nearby window. The two of them were in some sort of house, but more importantly, they were stuck in a cage, one not too dissimilar from the one in Zorua's dream.
The room they were in was rather sparse, bare of any furniture but the cage they were trapped in. At the very edge of the room, lay a sleeping Voltorb who rocked back and forth as their body absorbed the sun's rays.
Zorua walked over to the edge of her confinement and tried to push her paw out of the cage's bars. Instead, her forepaw failed to pass through as an invisible force trapped her inside. "It's no good, the bars are enchanted, I am afraid I cannot escape."
"So, we're stuck here?" Squirtle asked. He then let out a sigh. "Guess they would have prepared to keep a Ghost-type trapped."
"That appears to be the case," Zorua said. She felt uneasy being trapped and being confined in a small space. She didn't even have her bags so she couldn't write in her journal or brew something up to take her mind off her current predicament.
"Hey, Zorua, what's the story about the Keepers?" Squirtle questioned. "Who are they exactly and why have they decided to capture us?"
"That's a bit complicated to answer," Zorua frowned. "Their full name is the Keepers of the Sunken Island."
"Sunken Island?" Squirtle squinted. "How does an island sink? Like, I'm no rock expert, but that's not normal."
"Indeed, it isn't. According to legend, their island sank some time during the Hisui Influx and since then, they thought that they lost favor of the gods. So, their order was founded to attempt to appease them." She frowned. "Usually, this means that their group focuses on things like… building houses or hunting bandits."
"And occasionally, kidnapping and breaking my shades!" Squirtle grumbled.
Zorua winced. "I… don't understand that part. I know that my Master dislikes them, but I have never seen this side of them before. Most of my interactions with them before meeting my Master were them announcing bandits that they apprehended."
Squirtle impatiently tapped his foot. "So, why have they apprehended us like we were bandits?"
"Hard to say, as the group that captured us were initiates rather than full members of the order." Zorua thought back to the previous night, especially that awful Sneasel; none of those Pokémon were fully matured. Plus, it was obvious that Arcanine was their Master, based on how they were subordinate to him in their meeting back in her Master's holdings. "But assuming they were ordered to do so, perhaps they thought that inconvenience would have helped their other goals?"
"Maybe." Squirtle crossed his arms. "Or maybe we're under arrest?"
Zorua frowned. "But- but we haven't done anything wrong? Have we?"
Then again as she thought of it, there was something definitely off about that Sneasel. He used Ash's Pokédex exactly like he knew what he was doing, arguably better than the Riolu himself did. Plus, he seemed to know who Professor Oak was. An outsider Maiju was unlikely to know either of these things, and knowing both was extremely unlikely. Therefore, there had to be only one conclusion… Sneasel, Silver was human. Which led to all sorts of questions, like whether or not the Keepers know his origins or why he was with them in the first place.
"... Is being human a crime?" she muttered.
Squirtle squinted. "Sorry, but what do you mean?"
Zorua gave Squirtle a quick explanation of her thoughts.
"Okay, so, you think the Sneasel was a human, likely a trainer, just like the Boss?" Squirtle grunted.
"This seems to be a likely thought given the evidence. I am, however, at a loss to explain why he is subordinate to the Keepers and whether or not they know about his origins." Zorua felt uneasy. "But if they know about his true nature, that means they know about humans arriving into Citrine…"
"So, they think humans shouldn't be in Citrine?" Squirtle questioned. "And that it's a crime."
"But if so, why is Sneasel given the title of Looplet Bearer?" Zorua mused. If being originally human was a crime, then why was Silver allowed to venture away from his Master with only a contingent of his peers. They clearly trusted him with an honorary position.
"It doesn't add up. We just don't know enough," Squirtle said. "Okay, how 'bout something that we can answer? If these guys take care of bandits, why don't you have Jennies or something else other than them?"
"Jennies?"
"Oh, sorry, that's slang for police," Squirtle answered.
"Police?" Zorua, again, did not not understand.
"You know, law enforcers who capture criminals and jail them!" Squirtle sounded like this was patently obvious. It was clear this was another foreigner thing that did not exist here.
"Uh, Squirtle, the closest thing to that in Citrine are the enforcers and soldiers owned by local lords and they generally don't work to capture criminals, but rather keep civic peace. Criminals like bandits are generally handled by militia and mercenaries," said Zorua.
Squirtle frowned. "You know, back before I met Ash, I wished for a world where I would never see the police again. Now, I'm pretty sure this is karma for that."
The door to the cabin room opened and the Sneasel walked in, flanked by Totodile and Gligar.
"Ah, I see our guest is lively and awake!" cried Gligar with a cheery tone. She did a midair bow. "I hope you've had quite the rest, but it appears my companions have been a little rough on you!"
But Zorua paid her little attention. Her gaze was firmly locked onto Silver. The Sneasel glared at the slumbering Voltorb and kicked it.
Voltorb rolled slightly, eyes wide open. "Oh, uh, sorry, must have dozed off!"
"I know you need the voltage, but you have a job to do," Sneasel quipped before turning his gaze towards Zorua. "You cannot afford to show weakness."
"Right…. Uh." Voltorb tilted, their eyes betraying a sense of unease.
Sneasel continued to stare at Zorua as he approached, causing her to recoil and flee to the back of the cage.
"Alright, you punks, what do you want to do with us?" Squirtle stepped in front of the frightened Zorua, thankfully.
The Sneasel ignored him and turned his gaze over to Zorua. "You can either work with us or you can stay in that cage until Master Arcanine comes and picks you up and does what he wants," he said, menace laced in his voice.
Zorua gulped. Sneasel was scary, but Arcanine, he was so big.
"Don't let them scare you!" Squirtle said to her. "This is a common intimidation tactic, where they imply a whole bunch fo stuff and-"
Squirtle was tossed back as a Water Gun from the silent Totodile struck him.
"That's a dirty trick!" Squirtle said back. He then promptly fired out his own Water Gun right at his attacker… only for the water to fail to flow out of the cage. Hitting an invisible wall, the spray bounced off and scattered over Squirtle and Zorua.
"Wow, that cage really works, huh?" Totodile said to Gligar.
"Of course, it does! A lot of Maiju have attacks that could go right out if it were not for the spell on them! This cage has a one-way screen that prevents things from leaving so easily!" Gligar said with a laugh.
Zorua felt well and truly helpless. There was no way out; she could neither phase through the walls of her cage, nor could she or Squirtle break free by using a powerful attack. This was just like… in her dream. She looked at her captor.
Silver shook his head at them before turning to face Zorua once again. "So, I take it you're not going to cooperate?"
"Ash will save us," Squirtle said with a strong conviction in his tone. He stepped forward to the front to meet Silver eye to eye.
Zorua's ears shifted as she noted that even as injured as he was, Squirtle stood defiant.
Even Gligar and Totodile paused to take note.
"And you know he'll come for you?" Silver glared into the turtle's eyes.
"Of course, I know." Squirtle laughed. "Do you know how many times per week my trainer goes through trying to save one of his Pokémon? I think Pikachu's been snagged by Team Rocket-"
Just like that, Silver threw a poison coated fist into the cage, causing Squirtle to fly back and clutch his gut.
Zorua leaned over to check the wound. It reeked of foul chemicals.
"You…" Silver's voice was hoarse, his breathing heavy. "Will never speak of Team Rock ever again!"
Totodile ran up to Silver and grabbed onto his arm. "Hey, calm down. It's not like they'll be a problem, alright? Master Arcanine said he would take care of them."
Silver looked Totodile in the eye before taking a deep breath. He nodded his head.
Zorua wondered what Totodile meant by that… and why Silver reacted in that particular way upon hearing the mention of Team Rocket. She doubted Silver would give her the answers to those questions, but it was clear: Team Rocket was a personal issue.
"Ow…" Squirtle clutched his wounds, his eyes watering.
Zorua frowned. Squirtle was showing signs that he had been poisoned. While she knew she was essential as a bartering piece in regards to her Master… and possibly to her father, Squirtle was probably not as valuable. His value was as insurance against her. There was every likelihood that Squirtle would risk permanent injury or worse should she refuse compliance.
Gathering whatever will she had, she posed a question. "What does a human who serves under the Keepers want from me?"
"Oh, so you figured it out?" Silver eyed her, he seemed amused.
"Hey, uh, Sneasel, should we be worried?" asked Gligar, her tone concerned. "She knows… well, about you."
"It doesn't matter to us," Silver said and then frowned. "Tell me, what elixirs do you know? Strengthening, especially."
"I know a few," Zorua admitted. "... I could brew some, if provided with the ingredients." After all, a helpful captive was given better treatment than a rowdy one. Plus, it meant that she could gather more information; after all, she just got confirmation that the Gligar and perhaps others knew about Silver's origins.
Squirtle had drifted away, the poison knocking him into unconsciousness. He needed property medicale attention instead of whatever the junior keepers currently had.
"Right. I suppose if your Master continues to be stubborn, we'll make use of you regardless." Silver said and turned towards Gligar. "Gligar, this is more your speciality."
"You got it!" Gligar said with great enthusiasm, her wings raised. Then she suddenly deflated. "Oh, uh, by the way Silver. We… uh may have lost that Poking… Codex?"
"You lost it!?" Silver shouted.
"I didn't touch it, but when I went to get lunch, I noticed it was gone!" Gligar said, waving her pincers.
Totodile brought a hand over to the Sneasel's shoulder. "Come on, I know you've wanted one for the longest time, but let's be real, you don't it. And besides, it's not like anyone else would know how to use it. And who knows, maybe it's around here somewhere!"
Zorua winced. Hopefully, Ash would forgive them for losing such a valuable piece of technology.
Silver said nothing about the Pokedex. He muttered something about uselessness. "Either way, we all have work to do. Especially since some of us need the training." He specifically looked at Voltorb as he said that.
"Oh joy," Totodile said with dry enthusiasm.
Voltorb gave the Bearer a squeamish look.
"Hey, don't look at me! I'm going to be brewing potions and elixirs today!" Gligar said back.
Silver grunted an affirmative and walked out the door, Totodile rolling a hesitant Voltorb out..
Gligar then flew over to Zorua. "Alright, so here's the deal. I'll give you food and the materials you need and you brew them up!"
Zorua nodded. At the very least, this was something she knew to do.
By her reckoning, the junior Keepers were simply unable to transport her and Squirtle discreetly, largely due to the fact that they were all roughly the same size and none of them were equipped to carry a cage this size in a cart. Meaning that ultimately, her fate would be decided on whether or not her friends would arrive before Master Arcanine.
She let out a sigh and wished she had a telephone, even if she did not understand how they worked. Maybe Ash could explain.
It was supposed to be a quiet day of selling food, but when Ash had come back talking about the possibility that Zorua and Squirtle had gone missing, Brock knew that it was a sign of trouble. After spending the better part of a year traveling with Ash, he knew that there was every possibility of a kidnapping having happened.
So, when the Riolu came back, Brock and some of friends were out searching the town, hoping to find a trace of the missing turtle and fox.
At the very least, there was no lack of people willing to help.
"I haven't seen anyone quite like that, but I'm sure to tell you, you ad…uh Rockruff!" said one flustered Snubbull.
Another female Pokémon, this time a Pikachu, "I saw Zorua recently, but she was one of the black furred ones, not white furred, but I'm sure you'll be reunited soon enough!"
"Oh wow, who does your fur? Oh, uh no, I haven't seen any Zorua or Squirtle!" cried an embarrassed sounding Grimer.
Unfortunately, that help was prone to gushing about him, but at this point Brock had gotten used to the idea that Pokémon thought he looked good.
Idly, the Rockruff wondered what that might be like once he evolved. He knew it was coming and soon; he could feel it.
Still, even with that help there was no sign of Squirtle or Zorua anywhere.
"This is getting nowhere!" Vulpix said in frustration. "This village isn't that big, but we aren't finding them!"
"Found a Squirtle," Onix said.
Everyone turned to Onix, expecting a glimmer of hope.
"Sorry." The gigantic rock snake shook his head. "Not ours," said the snake.
"I'd say it's like they vanished into thin air, but that kind of Zorua's whole point as a Ghost-type" Geodude hopped nearby.
"Hey, at least you can ask," Zubat complained as she hovered nearby. "It's very hard to explain what Pokémon look like when you're born blind!"
"Let's take a break, everyone," Brock let out a sigh and took a seat by his close friends.
The four Pokémon turned to look at him.
Brock nodded his head. "We're all exhausted at this point. If they have been captured, we're in no shape to help if we don't first catch our breath."
There were few grumbles among his Pokémon, but they all understood. This had been a near daily occurrence for them after all.
Vulpix rolled onto the ground. "We could use a break…"
Brock led his closest friends to the top of a hill with a lone tree standing by. Zubat climbed up to the tree and took a perch, whilst the rest instead laid their bodies near the tree trunk.
Brock sat on his rear and looked up at the sky. The Sun was about to set and with that, most of the settlement would soon shut down for the night
The Rockruff felt the urge to bark at the Sun, to let himself declare to the sky his joy. With some difficulty and practice, Brock stopped himself.
"You think Ash and Misty's parties had better luck?"
"No idea, we don't even know if they're still within the town or where." Zubat mused from her upside down perch. "We could do a wider area search, but that might mean we'd skip over them if they're hidden in a building or something."
"We can't just go door to door and try to find them that way," Brock said. "That'd just take too long and not everyone would let us in. Unless we had some way to see through walls."
"Tremorsense inexact," Onix concurred.
"Ooh, uh how about if we can smell them?" Zubat offered. "Like, Brock's got to have a good nose."
"I… do, don't I?" Brock said, realizing that his sense of smell could have been just as good as Ash's. He hadn't needed to rely on it, nor did he think to use it much, but that might have been an option.
"I actually tried that already," Vulpix said. "But there's too many Pokémon odors around for me to just piece together where they are. And well, there's ways to hide your scent."
Brock nodded, though at the same time, he was interested in finding out how good he was at just smelling things. Maybe it would be handy next time this happened.
The Rockruff lowered his head to the grass and… suddenly was aware of some much detail about the patch of grass he sniffed. For one, it had freshly photosynthesized and was full of plant sugars. The dirt however proved to be more interesting; he was very sure that it was rich in silica and low on iron, just from a cursory smell.
With several swipes of his claws, he tore off the grass and dug into the loamy earth.
The odor was much stronger now, more vivid. It was like he had been born without the ability to see color and now for the first time he noticed the vibrant shades around him.
"Yo, Brockruff, you okay?" Geodude called out.
Brock blinked for a second before realizing he had been lost. "Sorry, I guess I got carried away," the Rockruff said to his friends.
Onix snorted. "Rockruff sniff. That normal."
"I suppose it would be," Brock muttered. He was very tempted to explore the world around him. What wonders that were nearby that he had been ignoring.
"Amusing," Onix bellowed. "Tail wagging."
Brock raised his head and turned towards his rear end. True enough, his tail had been wagging on its own, yet again. This time though, the Rockruff was more amused rather than bothered. Having thought it through, he had gotten used to the idea that his body would do things involuntarily. His human body was the same way, really. It's just as a Rockruff, the way his body moved was so very different and it was more noticeable.
Now, it just felt familiar.
Geodude reached into Onix's bags and then passed out some quick snack foods and water, which in turn was promptly eaten by everyone else.
Still, their short rest would have to end soon, now that they recovered their strength and took some refreshments. Unfortunately, there was no quick solution to finding Squirtle or Zorua, and it was unlikely anything like that would just fall into their laps.
It was around the time that they were about to leave from the hill, did Onix abruptly turn his head to stare down the hill.
"Onix?" Brock said.
"Something moved," Onix said. "Felt, barely noticeable."
"I… I think I saw something," Vulpix said next as she stepped closer towards the place of the disturbance.
"We don't know what it is, but everyone be on your guard, just in case," said the Rockruff.
Zubat flew off her perch and went overhead, meanwhile the rest of Brock's friends cautiously walked closer.
"Tremorsense feel nothing," Onix said as he lumbered forth.
Brock, spotting something red, leapt forward towards what he saw.
The Rockruff found himself face to face with a familiar Pokédex in the dirt.
"Is that Ash's Pokédex?" Geodude questioned. "What's it doing here?".
"I have no idea. Maybe someone brought it to return it to us, but if so, how did they know we would be here?" Brock questioned. He turned to his only flying type and shouted a question. "Zubat, do you spot any Pokémon?
"Nope, so, I have no idea who did this!" said Zubat.
Just to make sure that it was not someone else's, Brock opened the casing and hit the sequence to have the device introduce itself. It was kind of fiddly with his digits being as inflexible as they were, but somehow he managed it.
I am Dexter, a Pokédex unit created by Professor Oak, owned by Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. If lost, I cannot be replaced. Please return me to my correct owner! The device buzzed.
"Well, you heard it, Ash will want his Pokédex back," Brock simply declared. Though he was at a loss to explain how the Pokédex ended up here of all places.
This was chapter I had some trouble deciding on how much information I wanted to put out. For a while, I have been trying to figure out when to bring up Mewtwo, but I am satisfied with what I came up with. When I got the the donation scene, I figured it would have made sense for Zorua to also have forgotten something.
Larkman: Well, you were right in the memory donation scene not going to plan. Though it's not Ash or Pikachu suffering the worst of it.
ThePilotArchangel: Silver is a fun antagonist. Importing him to a setting where he's a Pokémon is a bit unusual though.
The one who reads and writes: I am glad you enjoy the Hall of Memories. It was a bit spur of the moment to make it something central to the local culture, but I think it works out.