Pokemon: Legendary Adventures

by Flyg0n

Six years after the fall of Galactic, Koamaru sets out on his trainer journey with a singular goal - be the first to catch a legendary pokemon. The right way. But when his plan for a Perfect Team is upended by a spirited Zubat, Koa is forced to question how much his dreams are worth, even as the region fractures under the pressure of mysterious attacks by legendary pokemon.

16. Enter the Unown

Chapter 16! Despite his loss to Cade, Koa remains determined as ever as he makes his way towards his next gym badge.

Echo (Male Golbat)

Hazard (Male Joltik)

Rascal (Female Tyrunt)

Anubis (Male Houndoom)

Scrapper (Male Breloom)

---

"Ice Fang," Koa commanded.

Rascal, who stood a short distance ahead of him, roared. Koa snorted in amusement. He was beginning to get the feeling that Rascal really liked the sound of her own voice. Her jaws began to glisten with energy. Unfortunately, the energy almost immediately turned a shadowy color. She snapped her jaws experimentally a few times, then snorted and allowed the energy to disperse.

Koa frowned. He really, really wanted her to learn Ice Fang. An ice-type move would give her a huge edge against dragon-type opponents, and against Cade's Gabite. It was a long shot, he knew. He wasn't even sure the Tyrunt line could naturally learn the move. But he still wanted to try, so for the better part of an hour, he'd been trying to help Tyrunt learn the technique. Unfortunately, she'd only succeeded in using Crunch. She growled and stopped her foot, then snorted in irritation. She wasn't taking her lack of success very well.

"That's enough for now, Rascal," Koa called. "I want to get some more traveling in."

Rascal nodded, though he noted she looked distinctly annoyed. She still wasn't happy about failing at Ice Fang.

"No luck, huh?" Avis asked. She sat a few feet away, resting under the shade of a tree and watching him train.

"Nothing," Koa grumbled, shaking his head.

Avis drummed her fingers on her thigh and frowned. "Maybe you could ask Professor Rowan? If there's a way to do it, he would probably know."

Koa almost smacked himself for not thinking of that. "Good idea. I'll have to give him a call."

In silent agreement, they began packing up their things to leave. They still had a lot of ground to cover. A few minutes passed as they walked in silence.

"So," Avis began. "What's next for you, after Veilstone? You still have to beat the gyms at Canalave, Snowpoint, and Sunnyshore next, right?"

"Yeah. I think I'll head to Snowpoint."

"Really? But that's the farthest away. Sunnyshore is only a week's hike or so, by bike."

"Yeah, but there's something in Snowpoint I've always wanted to see."

"Oh?"

"It's called the Festival of Legends! It's a special festival they hold every year to honor legendary pokemon. And every year they pick a different legendary to focus on. I went a couple years ago with Blake, when they focused on the Lake Trio. This year they're doing it on Entei, Raikou, and Suicune."

"That's pretty cool, I guess," Avis replied.

"You guess?" Koa asked, stupefied. He shook his head. "Legendaries are literally the coolest thing ever. I mean, pokemon that control time and space? How is that not awesome?"

"It is awesome. But I mean, what do they have to do with me? I'm trying to join the police. Unless of course, Arceus is gonna come down and tell them they should let me join," she added.

He grinned "Maybe he would if you could beat him in battle."

"Hah!" Avis waved her hand. "No thanks. I'll leave the 'god-killing' to you."

Koa simply smiled and shook his head. It was hard to imagine not wanting to battle a legendary. It had been all he'd thought about for years. But everyone had their own dreams, he supposed. And he would accomplish his.

xXx

The next couple of days flew by. Traveling with Avis proved to be enjoyable since she seemed equally prone to enjoying the silence as much as having a conversation. He'd been able to use his bike for a good portion of it, and Avis had used her own bike as well. He'd even had the chance to battle a few trainers on the route, though they had been defeated fairly easily.

On the way, he'd contacted Rowan and asked him about Ice Fang. The Professor had been interested in his question, and promised to ask some of his fellow researchers and have a proper answer by the time they reached Solaceon Town. Which, by his estimate, they were roughly a day and a half away from.

Up ahead, he caught sight of a large, smooth gray tower that rose at least four stories into the air. He instantly recognized it from one of the books he'd read - Lost Tower. The tower was infamous for the many ghost types that liked to congregate there - Litwick, Duskull, Gastly, and even Misdreavus, as well as a few others Koa couldn't think of off the top of his head. The tower also served as a memorial for pokemon who had passed on.

"Hey, do you mind if we visit Lost Tower?" Avis asked. "I'd love to catch a ghost-type."

"Sure," Koa replied. Truthfully, he'd been considering visiting it himself. Maybe he could catch a Ghost-type to help at the gym in Veilstone. Although there was still his egg to think about... Perhaps it already contained a ghost type? Either way, checking out the tower might be interesting. He remembered reading that the upper levels contained some fairly strong ones.

"Great! I'll meet you at the bottom in a couple of hours?" she asked, already jogging towards the tower.

"Ok," Koa replied neutrally. His thoughts were already far off, contemplating the different ghost-types and if one would fit on his team. Avis raced ahead of him towards the tower, quickly disappearing into the distance. He followed her at a more sedate pace. Before long, he approached the base of the tower. The tower itself was a simple structure. A tall, smooth building of gray stone, its sides narrowing slightly until they formed a point at the top.

There was no sign of Avis, but that wasn't surprising. She was likely far inside the tower by now. He descended a short flight of stairs to the tower. As he descended the steps, a faint chill spread over him and he shivered. He recalled reading about this phenomenon - when so many ghost types congregated in one space, it caused strange energies to build up, which usually manifested in a small drop in temperature. It was a weird sensation, considering how warm it had been at the top of the steps.

After a brief hesitation, he stepped inside the tower. Immediately, he felt the chill even more. It wasn't at all like being in the cold, but more like he'd drunk something extremely cold. He glanced around, taking in the first floor of the building.

Smooth, short grass covered the entire floor. He wondered how the grass grew indoors, without any sunlight. At the back of the room, he could see the stairs leading to the next floor. The floor seemed fairly empty, save for a few simple gray stones dotted around. No one else was around, though that was hardly surprising. Lost Tower wasn't exactly a popular tourist destination.

He caught sight of a few lone Zubat hanging from the ceiling, huddled in the shadows, squeaking softly every now and then. He smiled fondly at them, remembering his own odd encounter with Echo. Still smiling faintly, he headed for the stairs.

When he emerged onto the second floor, the first thing he noticed was the change in scenery. Smooth gray stones covered the floor, and there were many more memorial markers. The second floor was also more populated - from what he could see, there was a grand total of two people. The first looked to be a young boy off to one side of the room, fighting a Gastly. The Gastly was fruitlessly attempting to attack the boys' Rattata and didn't quite seem to understand why its attacks weren't working. The Rattata, on the other hand, darted about, using a series of quick Bite attacks to wear it down.

Koa watched with fascination as the Rattata dealt the finishing blow. The boy quickly retrieved a pokeball from his pocket and threw it at the Gastly. It was instantly encapsulated. He edged closer, curious to see if he was successful. A moment later, the pokeball dinged. The boy grinned widely and jumped, cheering. His Rattata squeaked happily as the boy picked up the ball and smiled at it.

"Nice job!" Koa called. The boy glanced at him in surprise, then smiled and waved.

Koa waved back, then set his sights on the stairs to the next floor. As he approached them, he took a glance over at the one other person in the room. It was a tall lean man, probably in his twenties, wearing a simple long dark jacket and neatly styled mahogany hair. He looked familiar... Koa almost shouted in shock, then clamped his hand over his mouth. The man in the corner of the room was none other than Callahan, famed researcher of legendaries.

Almost trembling with excitement, Koa strode over to him as quietly as possible. He stood a few feet away, trying to figure out how to approach him. What did one say to their greatest idol?

Fortunately, he didn't have to figure out what to say, because Callahan spoke first. "Well hello there." His voice lacked the dramatic flair he'd displayed on stage, yet still held the confidence and rich tone that made him so captivating.

"Hi," Koa managed to say. He mentally smacked himself. He didn't want to come off as some starstruck idiot. He cleared his throat. "Hello, Mr. Callahan. I don't mean to disturb you. I just saw your discussion at Hearthome a couple weeks ago and it was really interesting!"

Callahan flashed a brilliant smile. "Are you a fellow lover of legendaries then?"

"Yes! I've read everything about them. And I follow all your research." He stopped himself short. He was rambling again.

Callahan either didn't notice or didn't mind. "Superb! It's always fantastic to meet a fan - a fan of legendaries, that is! Tell me, what do you think of the Johto myths?"

Koa grinned. "I love the tale of Ho-Oh and Lugia, and how Ho-Oh revived the Three!" His thoughts flashed briefly to the Thing, but he pushed them away. He paused, contemplating. He had a theory of his own, though he didn't want to sound foolish for suggesting it. "I actually... nevermind."

"No please, I always love hearing the thoughts of others. Tell me, I insist," Callahan spread his arms, flashing his winning smile again.

"Well, I've always thought, if Ho-Oh and Lugia are connected, then I bet Lugia had something to do with the revival of the Three. I mean, the Brass Tower was his roost, right?"

For the first time since the conversation began, Callahan frowned slightly. "That is an interesting theory. However, I believe that the true power resides in the Three themselves, not Ho-Oh or Lugia. After all, it is said the people drove them off in fear. I believe it is they who hold the greatest secret of all."

"Huh," Koa said. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Do you think there can be more than one of the legendary beasts?"

A strange look of thoughtfulness crossed Callahan's face. He frowned, gazing into the distance as if lost in thought. "Yes, yes I suppose there could be multiple."

Koa stared at him in surprise. "But how? The legends speak only of Ho-Oh reviving three pokemon."

"Who knows? Legendaries are full of mysteries. Perhaps one day I may be able to unravel those mysteries." He cast a glance at one of the memorial stones, a trace of sadness in his eyes. "Such as the secret of resurrection. It is one of the great mysteries that remain about those legendaries. That is part of the reason I've come here. You see, I lost a good friend not long ago. I came here to pay my respect to them."

"Oh," Koa said softly. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you, but you have nothing to apologize for," he murmured.

An odd silence fell. He wasn't sure what to tell Callahan. It had to be awful, to lose a pokemon. He couldn't imagine how it would feel...

He quickly pushed the thought away. Instead, he contemplated Callahan's views on the Three beasts. He respected Callahan immensely, but he wasn't sure he agreed this time. He'd always believed Ho-Oh to act as the 'guardian' of the three beasts, just as Lugia was thought to tame the legendary birds. And he couldn't shake the thought that the two birds of the towers were connected, somehow. How could the beasts be the ones who held the power of resurrection? Not only that, he didn't see how there could be multiple beasts. Only three pokemon had perished from the flames. A fact Callahan himself had said at his conference. Before he could ask for clarification, Callahan spoke again.

"Enough of that!" His smile returned. "I like your intuition, young man. You certainly show all the makings of a great explorer. Continue to follow your dreams. I'm sure you'll go far."

A warm sense of pride spread through Koa and he smiled widely. Callahan offered his hand, and Koa shook it, his heart fluttering. He'd actually gotten to talk to his personal hero, and his personal hero complimented him!

Callahan glanced at his watch. "Well, I'm afraid my time here is up. I have to be at another conference soon," Callahan said. "It was a pleasure talking to you...?"

"Koamaru," he said, still in awe.

"Then it was a pleasure talking to you, Koamaru." With a wave, he strode for the exit.

Koa watched him go, still a bit starstruck. "So cool," he whispered.

"What is?" a voice behind him said.

Koa yelped and almost jumped out of his skin. He whirled around and scowled when he saw Avis standing in front of him, grinning.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. Who were you talking to?" she asked.

"You didn't recognize him?" Koa demanded, shocked. "That's Callahan! He's like the most knowledgeable person ever on legendary pokemon. He's sick!"

Avis shrugged. "Legendaries are cool I guess. But I guess I've always been more interested in investigating."

Koa held back a cry of offense. He guessed she was entitled to her own opinion. But it was beyond him how someone couldn't be immediately excited by legendaries. He glanced down to see a Great Ball in her hand. "What did you catch?"

She grinned and held up the Great Ball eagerly. "I caught a Litwick! It's so cute!"

"Cool." He recalled Litwick were usually from Unova, though being a ghost-type they tended to roam far and wide. "Can I see?"

With a nod, she tapped the button. A small pokemon emerged with a whispered greeting. It looked exactly like a little candle, with a perpetually burning purple flame on its head. He waved a stubby, wax-like arm, his yellow eyes gazing into Koa's own.

"Woah..."

"And what about you?" Avis asked. "Catch anything?"

Koa shrugged. "No. I didn't see anything, and then I ran into Callahan."

Avis rolled her eyes amiably and returned Litwick. "Well, I'm headed downstairs. Are you going to stay and catch something?"

"Nah. I'm good," Koa said after a brief deliberation. There'd be more opportunities to catch a new pokemon, and he was eager to continue on his journey. He led the way out of the tower, relishing the feel of the warm sun on his back as he stepped outside.

"Bikes?" he asked, once they climbed the stairs and stood a short way away from the Tower.

Avis nodded in agreement. Koa whipped out his bike from his bag, stopping briefly to watch his egg. It wiggled slightly, and he smiled. Recently, he noticed it had started to shake a couple times a day. He was sure it would hatch in a week, maybe two. A few moments later, he and Avis were on their bikes and pedaling swiftly towards Solaceon Town.

Koa wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as he pedaled into Solaceon Town later the next morning. Despite how early it was, the sun had apparently decided to come out in full force. He'd even been forced to tuck his jacket in his bag and just wear his black t-shirt. All his pokemon were in their pokeballs, giving them a reprieve from the heat. He made a beeline towards the pokemon center, taking in the town as he did.

Solaceon was fairly large for a town, at least compared to the other towns in Sinnoh. He guessed it was roughly the size of Floaroma, maybe a bit bigger. Trees grew all throughout, and there weren't exactly any roads, just packed dirt paths. Most of the residential section lay tucked away to his right, dotted throughout among the trees and rock. Beyond that, he spotted the short rocky foothills of the Solaceon Ruins.

The area to his left was dominated by a sprawling fenced-in pokemon habitat belonging to Solaceon's pride and joy - their pokemon daycare. Though there were plenty of smaller daycares throughout the region, the one in Solaceon town was by far the largest. It featured carefully cultivated habitats for almost any kind of pokemon, plus the couple who ran it were known to be experts on breeding.

There was definitely plenty he wanted to check out before he left Solaceon. But first, he wanted to go to the pokemon center to cool off, then eat a proper meal. A few minutes later, he stepped into the refreshing coolness of the pokemon center. He breathed a sigh of relief, as did Avis.

A short time later, they were seated around a table, enjoying a meal from the cafeteria.

"So, got any plans while you're here?" Avis asked as she finished off her lunch.

Koa nodded. "I wanted to take my pokemon egg to the daycare and see how it's coming along. And after that, I want to visit the Solaceon Ruins. I've always wanted to see an Unown."

"That sounds nice. I think I'm going to hang around outside the city for a bit though, and train."

A grin spread across Koa's face as an idea struck him. "Hey, how about we have a battle after I finish checking out the ruins?" It occurred to him they'd never had a proper battle, just Echo's match against Noctowl.

Avis smirked. "Think you can win again, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Koa said confidently. His team was already fantastically strong, not to mention he didn't plan on slacking off while he was exploring the ruins. He'd be training there too.

"Sounds like a plan, then!" Avis said. "How about we meet back here the day after tomorrow, at 6pm? That way you have a whole day at least to explore your ruins."

Koa nodded in agreement, then held out his hand. "Alright, it's a deal. Hope you're ready to lose."

Avis snorted as she shook his hand. "We'll see." She stood up, picking up her tray of food. Her pokemon, who were all arrayed nearby, glanced up at her. "Okay everyone, let's get training!" Her team cheered eagerly. She returned them and started for the exit. Turning around briefly, she waved, then left the center.

Koa watched her go, then turned his attention back to his food, polishing off the last few bites. He really wanted to get to the ruins today, that way he had lots of time to explore. He stood up, glancing at his pokemon, who had just finished their own meals. "Ready guys?"

They cheered approvingly. "So who wants to stay outside their pokeballs?"

Echo and Hazard gave cries of approval, which didn't surprise him. Then Anubis gave an excited bark. "So you want to come too?" Anubis nodded calmly.

"That settles it then!" He said, returning the rest of his pokemon. Clipping the balls to his belt, he gently picked up Hazard, placing him on his head. Echo leaped onto his shoulders, causing him to stumble slightly. He caught himself, patting Echo on the side, then packed up his things and headed for the exit.

Once outside, he set out towards the pokemon daycare's main building. It wasn't far from the center - the main building itself was practically across the street. He jogged over to it, Anubis loping easily at his side.

An older woman stood near the fence, watching several pokemon play.

"Excuse me!" he called.

The woman turned around and waved. "Hello there. My name is Brooke. How may I help you? Are you interested in daycare services?"

Koa shook his head. He swung his backpack off, dislodging Echo, and set it on the ground. "I wanted to ask about an egg actually." He carefully removed the egg from his bag and held it out to her. "I don't need to know what it is. I just want to know how it's doing, and when it might hatch."

"Oh, what a beautiful egg!" Brooke exclaimed. She carefully took the incubator and examined it. "Let's see..." she traced her hand across the glass and peered at it closer. As she watched, the egg shook slightly. "Well, I do believe this pokemon may hatch very soon!"

"Really?" Koa asked.

"Absolutely," she replied. "You see, a pokemon egg usually grows exponentially. So once it starts to move, that means it will quickly start to shake more and more, then hatch." She smiled fondly at the egg. "I also believe it may hail from the Hoenn region, although I may be wrong. Are you sure you don't want to know what it is? I can take it to Mr. Daycare. I'm sure either he or his wife will know what is inside."

Koa adamantly shook his head. "It was a gift from a friend. I want to be surprised."

Brooke shrugged. "Alright then," she said cheerfully. "Well, keep taking good care of it."

"Got it," Koa said. "Is there anything I should know when it hatches?"

"Hmm... Well, baby pokemon all mature at different rates. Some are ready to battle as soon as they hatch, some take time to develop. So you'll have to watch the pokemon closely."

Koa nodded. "Will do." Standing up, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and turned his gaze upon the distant sight of the Solaceon Ruins. A grin spread over his face. The real fun was about to begin.

An hour later, Koa stood outside the entrance to Solaceon Ruins. He'd topped off on supplies at the Pokemart, as well as a few jars of honey, which he'd had to hide from Echo to stop him from eating them all whole. As he peered at the ruins, he mentally reviewed his limited knowledge. The ruins had been a very recent excavation and were found to be home to hordes of Unown. Archaeologists had studied and excavated a great deal of the ruins, a painstaking process since they had to take care not to damage the natural structures.

Once they had dug far enough, they discovered a series of strange pathways and tunnels that often led to many explorers being lost for hours. From what he could recall, scientists were trying to figure out how the ruins might be connected to other ruins around the globe that also contained Unown.

Echo bounced on his shoulders, clearly excited to be in a cave again.

"I'm going, buddy." He set his thoughts aside and patted Echo, then stepped into the cave.

The first thing he noticed was how cool it was. He took a deep breath and sighed, reveling in the familiar musty smell. He realized he hadn't explored a proper cave since Mt. Coronet, although he supposed these were more like ruins than a cave. He glanced around the room, taking in the sights. Thanks to the light spilling from the entrance, as well as a few seeping from cracks overhead, the room he stood in wasn't very dark.

The room was fairly small. Smooth stone covered the floor, and the walls appeared to be made of carved brown stones. It was quite unlike the rugged feel of Coronet's caves. Clearly, parts of this had been explored before. At the far end of the room was an inscription of some kind, and beside that, a dark tunnel that sloped downwards.

He headed immediately for the inscription, peering at it curiously. The text was ancient Unown text, but given that the modern alphabet was actually based on Unown, it wasn't hard to decipher. Besides that, he'd read plenty of books detailing Unown text.

He peered curiously at the text and began to read.

Top ri-

"Hey, there young lad!"

Koa turned around to see a gentleman in a white lab coat enter the ruins. He looked to be somewhere in his thirties or early forties and had spiky blond hair. He looked fit, and Koa guessed he traveled a lot, if his calloused hands and dirt-smudged coat were anything to go by. Plus, he carried a large messenger-style bag over his shoulder that appeared to be bulging.

"Uh... hey?" Koa said.

"My name is Charles Dragonwood, and I'm a researcher!" The man said enthusiastically. He stuck out his hand. Koa shook it hesitantly, surprised by the firmness of his grip. He quickly matched it with a firm handshake of his own.

"Koamaru," he replied.

"I see you are examining the ruins. Are you a fan of the Unown?" Charles asked, his tone filled with an almost child-like excitement.

He shrugged. "Kind of? I'm really a fan of exploring. And legendaries-"

"YOU AS WELL?" Charles boomed. He gripped Koa's shoulders, his eyes lighting up. Koa took a step back and Echo fluttered in surprise at the man's shout. He quickly released Koa. "I apologize... But when it comes to my passions, I simply cannot contain myself. You see, I have two passions! Unown, and Legendaries. And I love Unown because I believe they are the key to legendaries!" He gestured wildly as he spoke, his voice animated. "To me, legendaries represent everything I love. Mystery! Excitement! Danger! The thrill of discovery and wonder. It always excites me to meet a fellow lover of legendaries!" He took a breath.

Koa's apprehension faded and he grinned happily. Charles had put into words the exact way he felt about legendaries. "Yeah! I love legendaries too. I want to meet one, and then battle one!" he blurted.

Charles raised his eyebrows and grinned wildly. "I like your spirit! I haven't yet met anyone with guts like you! And I daresay it takes a lot of guts to want to fight a legendary."

"Thanks!" Koa couldn't help but smile a little wider. In the past, when he mentioned fighting a legendary, much less catching one, he was often met with scorn. Well, save for Kitto, he supposed. But he was sure it was possible. Legends spoke of brave trainers who had either fought alongside the legendaries or challenged them. It was nice that someone else believed it could be done. "So is that why you came here? To find Unown?" he asked.

Charles nodded enthusiastically. "Precisely! You see, I traveled all the way here from Kalos to do my research. My dream is to open up a research facility of my own in Kalos, to further study the mystery of legendaries."

Koa almost screamed in excitement at the idea. An entire facility dedicated to researching legendaries? It sounded like a dream. The prospect excited him so much, he almost missed Charles' next words.

"My first task is to capture several Unown before I have to return."

"How long are you here for then?" Koa asked anxiously. There were lots of Unown, and they could be incredibly elusive. Catching them all was a big project.

Charles sighed, some of his boisterous attitude fading. "Unfortunately, I am only here for one more day. I got a bit sidetracked exploring all the other wonders of Sinnoh. So far I've only caught five Unown. Unfortunately, I don't know if I'll have time to catch more before I return to Kalos."

Koa frowned thoughtfully and glanced back at the inscription. An idea occurred to him. "Maybe I could help. If two of us go through the ruins, I'm sure we can catch all of the Unown!"

"You would do that? That would be incredible!" Charles shouted. "I've got just the thing!" he sprinted out of the ruins, his coat flapping erratically behind him. He returned a minute later with a small briefcase and opened it. Inside was a set of thirty pokeballs with a blue and yellow lightning-like design. Koa recognized them as Quick Balls, pokeballs specially designed to capture weaker pokemon if they were thrown first, before the battle began.

Charles grinned madly as he held out the case. "If you take half, and I take the other half, we could have it done in a day, I'm sure!"

Koa took a handful of the Quick balls. "Which Unown have you caught so far?" His excitement was starting to boil over already, and he wanted to run off now. He couldn't wait to delve deeper into the ruins.

"A, B, C, D, and G," Charles replied.

"Alright then, I'll try looking for O and everything after that," Koa said.

Charles smiled happily. "Fantastic. Then we shall meet back here tomorrow?"

Koa nodded in agreement.

Charles started to head for the tunnel.

"Wait!" Koa called. "How will the pokeballs work though? I already have five pokemon."

Charles gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "No problem at all. You see, these balls are automatically registered to me. When you capture an Unown with them, they'll come straight back to this briefcase. I have a special carry license as well, so as long as I'm here catching Unown, I can carry more than six pokemon."

"Cool," Koa said. Well, that settled his questions. He craned his neck upwards to look at Echo. "Ready?"

Echo shreed excitedly fluttered towards the tunnel. "See you tomorrow," Koa called. He jogged after Echo, following him down the tunnel and further into the ruins.

Koa emerged onto the next floor, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of Unown. As he walked, he considered Charles. He liked him, a lot. Aside from Callahan, Charles was the first person he'd met who was equally passionate about legendaries. He wondered if Charles might even be more passionate. Regardless, he was happy to help.

A movement in the corner of the room caught his attention. He glanced up to see a small black shape dislodge itself from the wall. It floated down. Koa primed a Quick Ball as soon as he recognized the pokemon - Unown R. He tossed the ball. It arced through the air, struck the Unown, and sucked it inside. The ball shook twice, then dinged. "Yes!" Koa cheered. Echo shrieked happily. One down and... Koa mentally counted off the pokemon. Eleven left, he was pretty sure.

He glanced around. A veritable maze of passageways spread from the room he currently stood in. On one of the walls, there was an inscription of some kind. He read it briefly.

Lower Left

He made a mental note of it but decided to explore the other rooms first.

For the next several hours, he settled into a monotonous, but not entirely unpleasant pattern. He would wander the side rooms, sometimes for an hour or more at time, as they wound in ever confusing circles, seemingly wrapping in on themselves in a most peculiar manner. He and Echo kept their eyes peeled for Unown, and as soon as they saw one, he'd use the Quick Ball. He'd managed to get O, S, T, U, and W so far. The Quick Balls proved exceedingly useful, and so far hadn't failed him, to his delight.

What perplexed him the most was how the many side rooms and endless tunnels seemed to shift every now and then as if whenever he wasn't looking directly at them, they would change ever so slightly. He was also sure that the number of tunnels he'd walked through couldn't possibly fit in the hills he'd observed from the outside, but then again, maybe he was wrong. Either that or something else was at work. Maybe Charles would know.

At some point, he realized he'd been walking for hours. His legs and feet were starting to hurt, and he was tired. He switched the clock on his Poketch and peered at the time.

12:04 am. Yikes. He forgot how strange time could pass in caves. He glanced around. He was in a dead-end room, surrounded by the same smooth brown walls. It was as good a place as any to settle in for the night, he supposed. Rolling out his sleeping mat, he settled down for the night with a yawn. Echo found a nice perch on the ceiling and hung himself upside down. Koa lay on his mat, watching him for a few moments as he pondered the ruins.

He wondered who had made them - though the first explorers had to uncover and clear the area of debris, the actual structures within the ruins were all already present. But it was unknown - he laughed to himself at that - if the ruins were somehow the work of people, pokemon, or both. Finally, after some time, he drifted to sleep, his slumber filled with odd dreams and thoughts of Unown.

A loud shriek from Echo woke him up. He sat up blearily and looked up to see two Unown floating erratically around Echo. Their single eyes appeared narrowed, and they kept blasting thin beams of psychic energy at Echo, who easily dodged them. In return, Echo was hurling repeated Air Slash attacks to try and drive them off, but they kept dipping out of the way. Koa snapped fully awake and scrambled to grab two Quick Balls - he recognized the two as Unown P and Q.

"Back them into a corner, Echo!" Echo nodded in acknowledgment and began to angle his attacks in such a way as to force the two into the corner of the ceiling. It was also great practice for Echo's Air Slash technique, he reflected. In a few seconds, Echo had them trapped against the wall.

Koa clicked the button, priming the balls. He only had about five seconds before the balls began to lose their effectiveness. Taking aim, he tossed them, one after the other. The first struck Unown P, swiftly encapsulating it. The second, however, arced wide. Echo dived at the ball, and with a skillful swipe of his wing, knocked it into Q, encapsulating it as well.

Both balls fell to the ground, then shook twice and dinged. "Sick! Thanks Echo," he called. Echo shrieked happily and landed on his shoulders. As usual, he gave the Golbat a quick scratch behind the ears, then stooped to pick up the Quick Balls. As usual, they shrunk to about a quarter of their regular size, and the button mechanism turned red. Then they shook and vanished. Perfect. That just left... Four? He checked the notes section on his Poketch - V, X Y and Z were the last.

"Almost done Echo." Gathering up his equipment, he packed everything away and set out towards the tunnel. He eventually found his way back to the main room the tunnel branched from and took a moment to check the inscription.

Lower Left

So that had to mean, if he was facing the inscription... he turned around and glanced at the tunnel in the back of the room and on the right side. That was the one. He'd taken to exploring side rooms, then following the inscriptions, which seemed to lead him ever deeper into the strange, twisting network of the ruins. He wondered how deep the ruins went.

As he entered the tunnel, he checked his watch again. It was almost noon. He'd have to turn around soon to make it back to the main room in time to meet Charles. Still, he really wanted to see what was at the end of the tunnel first. Ahead, he thought he saw the tunnel widen. Was that another room?

He walked a little faster. Just as he was about to emerge into what seemed to be another room, he thought he felt the world around him shift slightly. He stumbled as the world around him spun and his vision distorted. Then, as soon as it began, the sensation was gone, and he found himself in a large, wide room.

The first thing he noticed was that he didn't need his headlamp to see. A strange faint gray light permeated the area, though it didn't seem to have an origin. The room was nearly identical to the other rooms he'd been in so far, except it was the first dead-end he'd encountered since following the Unown inscriptions. He glanced around the room again and spotted four indents on the stone floor. He strode closer to examine them, noting that a thin layer of dirt covered each. They also glimmered briefly as his lamp passed over them.

A brief rush of excitement fluttered through him as he stooped next to them. His heart skipped a beat as he brushed dirt from one to find a small Nugget. He grinned madly at the tiny fragment of gold, then tucked it in his pocket. He brushed the dirt away from another indent to find... a strange object. It appeared to be a round pink and purple container. The top was round, with several small slots, and a strange, yet pleasant scent wafted from it. He shrugged, then tucked it in his bag. Maybe Charles would know what it was.

The third indent revealed a large pink tablet. He gasped softly as he recognized it - a Mind Plate. An incredibly rare object, it was one of eighteen plates in a set, one for each pokemon type. There were thought to be only a few of each type of plate in existence, making them highly sought after. Museums were known to pay a handsome price for them.

Koa reverently ran his hands over the smooth plate. It was a soft, ethereal pink in color, and almost seemed to hum with energy. He felt something on the back and carefully turned the plate over. There was an inscription, written in faint Unown text. He peered closer at it to read it.

"Two beings of time and space set free from the original one"

Koa cocked his head. The original one? Time and Space? Could that refer to Dialga and Palkia? And the Original One... Who could that be? Arceus? It was one pokemon only mentioned in a few myths. There were no known depictions of it. No one had ever seen it. Many people even doubted if it ever existed. And if it had, did it still exist?

Seeing the plate stirred something inside him. One day, he would meet them. Dialga and Palkia. He would ascend to the very peak of Mt. Coronet and, if Arceus smiled upon him, he would see the dragon gods of Time and Space. And maybe, somehow, he could make things better. Fix things... See Giratina...

Deep down, he'd always longed to meet the shadowy dragon from another dimension. There wasn't much on that pokemon though. Only rumors and the occasional reference to something like it. Or at least, there was nothing available to the general public... he knew better. He couldn't help but stare at the plate in awe for a few more moments before tucking it into his bag.

Then he knelt in front of the final patch of dirt. He gently brushed it away to reveal... a TM? That was odd. How did a TM get down here? He shrugged and picked it up gently, examining it. The disc was a dark shade of gray in color, almost black. Most likely a dark-type move then. Curious, he retrieved his TM case and set the TM inside, scanning it. A moment later, the reading came back.

Dark Pulse.

He gave a loud whoop and jumped in the air. Echo shrieked in surprise and leaped off his shoulders. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. As he tucked the TM away for later, he wondered if there was a bit more than luck to it. Well, whatever it was, he was happy about it. Anubis would be even happier, he was sure. He stood up, dusting himself off, and walked over to the only other thing of note in the room - the inscription on the wall.

This one was quite a bit longer than others, and it took him a moment to decipher the text.

"Friendship

All lives

Touch other

Lives to create

Something

Anew and alive"

That was a new one. No directions, just a statement. He reread it, pondering its meaning. He thought he got the gist of it - whenever two people met, a friendship was made. He guessed the inscription was referring to how different kinds of things could be born from friendships? Though he had a feeling there was more to the statement too. He wrote everything down on his Poketch, then saved it for later. He switched to the clock and frowned. Noon. Time to get going. He didn't have long to find the last four Unown.

By the time he returned to the main room, it was almost five in the evening. He was exhausted, but pleased. After an agonizingly long search, he'd found the last four Unown. Although it had taken him several tries, since he began to run into more and more Unown he'd already caught, between him and Echo, he'd finally caught the last four. To his surprise, Charles wasn't in the main room when he returned.

He decided to take the opportunity to use Dark Pulse on Anubis. It didn't take long for him to slip the TM into the case, and place Anubis' pokeball in the slot. A moment later, the pokeball glowed as the information was uploaded. The TM cracked, since it was only a single-use, so he discarded it. He clipped Anubis' pokeball back to his belt. There'd be plenty of time to test the move later.

Footsteps echoed from the tunnel, and Charles emerged a moment later. He looked a bit dirtier than he had before, but his face held a wildly triumphant grin. "We've done it, lad!" He carried the briefcase with him, cradling it like a precious treasure. "I was certain the task was impossible with the time I had left. But thanks to you, I have fulfilled my goal of catching one of every Unown! Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Koa said with a shrug. "It was fun anyway."

"Now tell me, did you experience any unusual... distortions? As if rooms were shifting?"

Koa nodded. "Yeah! I was wondering about that, actually."

Charles tapped his chin. "Hm... That confirms my suspicions then. I believe the Unown have strange psychic abilities. When many of them are together, as they are in these ruins, they can create small scale spatial distortions."

"Whoa," Koa breathed. "So that explains how so many tunnels and rooms are able to fit in such a seemingly small space."

Charles grinned. "An astute observation indeed. Some even say they are the hands of Arceus himself, the very vessels by which he shaped the universe."

"Whoa," he said again. Koa wondered if the Unown had something to do with the items he discovered in the final chamber. Which reminded him...He retrieved the Mind Plate and the strange container from his backpack. "I found these in the last room. Do you know what this is?" he asked, handing the small container to Charles.

Charles' eyes lit up. "Oh my, what a find! This, Koamaru, is what is called an Odd Incense. The scent is known to temporarily power up Psychic Type pokemon. It is also invaluable to breeders."

"Why breeders?" He couldn't fathom why a power-up item could have any use for someone who didn't battle.

"Simple!" Charles declared. "You see, Odd Incense has an additional effect. It can be given to a Mr. Mime. When the egg appears, instead of a Mr Mime, it will hatch into a Mime Jr." Charles trailed off and frowned as if in thought. "Although I have no idea how that works."

"You can have it," Koa said, after a moment's thought. He didn't have any Psychic types, nor did he need the incense.

"Really? That would be fantastic! An associate of mine in Johto would be delighted to have one of these. Thank you greatly." Charles smiled. A bright, genuine smile, one that spoke of passion and love.

Koa smiled in return.

Charles glanced at the Mind Plate. "Incredible! I see you found a Mind Plate as well! That is quite the find. May I?"

"Sure." Koa handed him the plate. He realized he trusted Charles implicitly. The man seemed utterly open, and fearless. He had nothing to hide from the world, and no shame about his passions.

Charles took it, examining it reverently. "You know, they say that the eighteen plates are connected to Arceus somehow."

"They're like fragments of his power, right?" He knew he'd read about them somewhere, maybe a Hisuin text. "Do you think you could hold onto it for me then? I want to travel to Kalos one day, but I'm afraid if I hold onto it now, it could get damaged."

For a second, Charles didn't reply. "Are you certain?" he asked finally. "Not that I don't appreciate your trust, but I am just a stranger to you. Why do all this?"

Koa shrugged. "I guess it's just nice to meet someone who appreciates legendaries as much as me."

"Koamaru, I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me today."

"You can call me Koa."

Charles smiled. "Thank you, Koa. You've helped me get one step closer to my dreams. And for that, I must repay you."

Koa opened his mouth to deny it, then thought better of it. For starters, it would be rude to refuse a gift, especially if Charles wanted to do it. Two, any gift from someone like Charles was sure to be interesting. Besides, he loved to get gifts. Catching the Unown hadn't exactly been easy, and although he would never ask for a reward, he would not deny Charles the chance to give one.

Charles reached into his bag and retrieved a strange device. It looked a bit like every small egg incubator, though instead of clear, it was silver and featured a small screen and some kind of hatch. A red Pokeball symbol was printed on top.

Koa took it and examined it curiously. "What is it?"

"It is what is known as the Box Link system. It is quite the rage over in the Galar region," Charles said.

Galar was perhaps the one region Koa didn't know much about at all. It was far away from the other regions, and there was precious little information about it, even its pokemon, since they were almost never found outside their home region.

Charles continued on. "You see, much of Galar is huge stretches of untamed wilderness, farther than the eye can see. So the scientists there developed a system to allow trainers to easily switch between their pokemon while traveling. Think of it as a mobile PC system."

Koa's eyes widened in shock. "No way!" he exclaimed. As far as he'd been aware, switching pokemon required a trip to the pokemon center, which were usually only found in towns. A trainer would have to contact whatever ranch they were registered with, or if they were registered with a Professor, and swap their pokemon that way. Otherwise, they would have to access the PC system at the pokemon center.

"It will soon be widely available to all regions, but this is a completed prototype that I've been given," Charles grinned. "Since I will be spending most of my time at my lab in Kalos, however, I have little use for it. But I'm sure a trainer such as yourself can put it to proper use."

Koa stared up at him in awe. "Thank you," he stammered.

Charles clapped his hand on Koa's shoulder. "I should thank you, lad. What you helped me achieve is of far greater value. This," he gestured to the Box Link, "is just a small token of my gratitude.

Koa grinned, delighted to have received such an incredible device.

"So tell me, Koa, what is your life's dream? Is it just to battle a legendary, as you said?"

Koa hesitated. He'd not shared the extent of his dreams with anyone. Or rather, any human. He'd talked about it with his pokemon, of course. He was hesitant to say too much.

"Yeah. I do want to battle a legendary. I love exploring too. Discovering new areas and places no one has seen. I want to climb Mt. Coronet, and find the Spear Pillar again."

"Astounding!" Charles declared. "That is a lofty goal, and a dangerous one. Yet it is noble, as well."

Koa nodded. "You... Do you think it's possible though?" If anyone knew, it would be Charles, right?

"I do not believe it is impossible. Perhaps the legendaries are waiting for someone bold enough to try. You truly have the spirit of an explorer." He tapped the side of his head and grinned. "I can always tell when I see one."

Koa's eyes widened at that. How could he tell? He shrugged it off. The praise was nice, either way. And Charles seemed like a genuinely good fellow. "Oh! Before you have to go, I was wondering, do you know anything about the legendary beasts?"

"Of course! One of my favorite tales." He paused. "Of course, all things legendary are my favorite."

"Do you think there could be several beasts? Or are there just the three?"

Charles laughed good-naturedly. "What do you think, young lad?"

"There's only the Three. They came because Ho-Oh revived the Three unnamed pokemon."

Charles nodded. "And you are exactly correct! There cannot be multiple! Just as there is one Lugia and one Ho-Oh. In fact, most legendaries are unique entities. Save for mythical pokemon such as Shaymin, as I'm sure you already know."

"I knew it!" Koa said. "I always thought there had to be just one of the beasts."

"Smart lad," Charles said. A faint beeping sound came from his wrist and he glanced briefly at his watch. "Well, I am afraid my time has come," Charles said, a note of sadness in his voice. "But perhaps we may run into each other again. If you ever come to Kalos, be sure to find me. If I am able to open up my lab, then I am sure I will always have room for a fellow researcher and lover of legendaries."

"I will," Koa vowed. If - no, when - he climbed Mt. Coronet and found Spear Pillar, Kalos would be his next stop. He couldn't turn down the prospect of working with Charles. "That means you'll be Professor Dragonwood?"

"That has quite the ring to it!" Charles declared excitedly. "I look forward to seeing you again at my lab, Koa." He held out his hand, and Koa shook it firmly.

"Me too, Professor Dragonwood." Even as he said the name, his heart beat a little faster.

Charles grinned at him and gave him a nod. "Farewell, friend." Clutching his briefcase, he gave one final wave before leaving the ruins. Koa watched him go, contemplating his own dreams. After his talk with Charles, they felt closer than ever. And less impossible.

Meeting Charles, seeing the confidence he had, he realized his drive had been renewed. Tonight, he vowed he would train. Tomorrow, he would beat Avis. And after that, he would defeat Veilstone's gym, Canalave's gym, Snowpoint and Sunnyshore. Nothing would stand in his way.

---

Echo (Male Golbat)

Hazard (Male Joltik)

Rascal (Female Tyrunt)

Anubis (Male Houndoom)

Scrapper (Male Breloom)

That concludes chapter 16! Koa has met fellow researcher Charles Dragonwood, and his aspirations have been renewed. He also received the box link system. I do intend to have Koa capture more pokemon, farther down the line. So it seemed a fun little device to add for the future.