The Legendarian Chronicles

by Chibi Pika

After witnessing Team Rocket's attempt to capture Entei, a young trainer named Jade finds herself unwittingly tangled up in a conspiracy bigger than she could have ever imagined, with double agents on both sides and the looming threat of all-out war on the horizon.

17. The Ruins

Chapter 17: The Ruins

Firestorm took a fighting stance in front of me, claws flexed, flame-tail swinging back and forth. Across from us, Darren gave a confident smirk while his Ivysaur posed as tall as he could on his stubby legs. And opposite the both of us was Rudy. It was the perfect three-way matchup. All three of us had a different starter Pokémon, each with an advantage and disadvantage over one of the other two.

Except Rudy still had yet to send out Wartortle.

He shuffled a bit with a look of hesitation. "I still don't see why I can't use Ebony."

"Cause we're having a starter battle? Last time I checked, Houndoom aren't starter Pokémon," Darren replied.

"Well… yeah, but she was my first Pokémon."

"And Swift was my first Pokémon," I said exasperatedly.

Rudy glanced back and forth between me and Darren and groaned. "Alright, fiiine," he said, replacing Ebony's ball on his belt and pulling out another. He tossed it forward to release Wartortle before folding his arms in a huff. The bipedal tortoise laid eyes on his opponents and flinched slightly, but with a glance back at his trainer, he forced himself to take a more confident stance.

The only question now was who would make the first move? Should I be the one, or would it be better to lead with Protect and wait for an opening? Go for the easy target in Ivysaur, or try to stall while Ivysaur took out Wartortle? The other two hesitated similarly. Rudy's eyes flickered around, but then settled on me for just a second too long…

And that was the sign I needed.

"Now! Water Pulse!" he yelled, pointing at me.

"Dodge and use Scary Face!" I immediately countered.

Firestorm had already broken into a run by the time Wartortle took a deep breath and shot out a pulsating water ring at him. The fire lizard easily avoided the water move, then spun around and flashed a menacing snarl at his opponent, making the water-type freeze out of shock.

"Razor Leaf!" Darren called out.

While the other two were focused on each other, Ivysaur was free to launch a flurry of razor-sharp leaves at his opponents, catching both of them with tiny cuts all over. Firestorm braced his arms in front of his face and weathered the storm, but the leaves dug deeper into Wartortle's scales, forcing the tortoise to withdraw into his shell.

"Come on, Water Pulse again!" Rudy called out.

"Er… Protect?" I ordered.

I wasn't totally sure if Firestorm was even the target, but sure enough, another ring of water shot right at him. The fire lizard had plenty of time to produce a shimmering white barrier around himself, deflecting the attack with a spray of mist.

Rudy stared incredulously. "The hell? Come on, you've gotta attack sooner or later!"

"You've got the type advantage, of course I'm not just gonna rush in blindly against—" My words were cut off by the whoosh of another Razor Leaf.

"Hey guys, it's cool if you just wanna keep attacking each other the entire time, but I thought this was a multi battle?" Darren asked, his voice dripping with mock innocence.

Eh… right.

Rudy glowered at him. "Fine, use Bite on Ivysaur!"

Fangs bared, Wartortle charged ahead as fast as he could before lunging at the grass-type, who made no attempt to dodge. The tortoise clamped down hard onto Ivysaur's leg—the latter winced, but stood his ground until his trainer gave out the command, "Stun Spore!"

So that's why he'd taken the hit.

Ivysaur gave the slightest trace of a grin right before tilting his body so the flower bud was facing forward and unleashing a cloud of yellow spores all over Wartortle. Firestorm paused as the cloud started to spread out and drift toward him. But then, without any orders from me, the fire lizard spat out a flurry of embers, which snapped and crackled as they burned up the paralyzing spores.

"Good thinking!" I called out. "Alright, time for a Fire Punch!"

The Charmeleon breathed out a fireball onto his claws and lunged forward at Ivysaur, catching the grass-type in the side with a flaming punch. He jumped back just as fast to avoid a counterattack, but then Ivysaur's vines suddenly shot out from all around him! Firestorm lashed out with his claws, but soon found himself completely tied up with his arms pressed against his sides.

"Try dodging Sleep Powder now," Darren said with a smirk.

Crap. If Firestorm got put to sleep, he'd be a sitting duck just asking to get hit with a Water Pulse. And there was Rudy, pointing forward, ready to call out another move. Had to do something, and fast!

"Ember!" I blurted out. Ivysaur's eyes went wide as he realized his mistake, right before a burst of flares hit him right in the face. The vines slackened for just a second—enough for the fire lizard to untangle himself. But not before a blast of water struck him head on. The fire-type reeled backward, coughing and sputtering. The culprit, Wartortle was already prepping for another water move.

It had been long enough since the last time Firestorm used Protect, right?

"Protect!" I yelled.

It took a good second longer than the last time, but Firestorm barely managed to raise the white barrier in time to block the second water ring that flew towards him.

Rudy was dumbfounded. "What?! Come on! Why are you only blocking my attacks?!"

"Well if you're just standing there ordering Water Pulse the entire time, it's kind of predictable!" I countered.

"I'm just gonna use Razor Leaf again, if that's alright with everyone," Darren said, pointing to his Ivysaur.

Ugh. Yet again, Rudy had gotten me to only focus on him in the battle. But of course Darren didn't want Wartortle to go down first. That was his best shot at Firestorm getting defeated. He'd been sticking to spread moves and single targeting Firestorm. No reason to think that was gonna change.

Come on, think… there was a solution there, I just knew it.

"Alright Wartortle, use Rapid Spin to dodge the leaves and then Water Pulse right in Charmeleon's face, before he can Protect again!" Rudy yelled.

That was going to be a problem.

Wartortle ducked into his shell before zooming along the ground at high speed, deflecting most of the leaves that had been sent his way. The tortoise closed the distance with Firestorm way quicker than I'd been expecting. He sprung out of his shell, ready for the attack—!

…and then dropped to his knees, his muscles twitching from paralysis.

"Are you kidding me?!"

It took me several seconds to realize now was the time to make a move. Something—not a fire move, not something that would just bounce off Wartortle's shell, something like—

"Dragon Rage!"

Firestorm breathed out a lick of sparkling blue and green dragonfire onto the downed water-type, who fell onto his back and didn't move.

"Whaaaat?!" Yep, that was pretty much the response I'd been expecting. I ignored Rudy and turned my attention to my sole remaining opponent, who folded his arms and said, "Well that's exactly what I was hoping wouldn't happen."

I laughed and said, "Hey, I'm not complaining." Then I motioned to Firestorm and called out, "Fire Punch!"

The Charmeleon grinned and breathed out a fireball onto his claws before lunging. Darren had his fists clenched in concentration, waiting for the fire-type to draw near. At the last possible second, he ordered, "Protect!"

Firestorm's punch collided with a barrier out of nowhere, scattering red-hot flares throughout the air.

"Don't let up! Fire Punch again! Ivysaur can't keep that up forever!"

Darren frowned. "Drop the Protect and use Sleep Powder!"

Trying to catch us off guard? But Firestorm was too quick and already had his attack ready. The instant the shield went down, he connected with a flaming uppercut that scorched the grass-type's scales. Ivysaur stumbled backward, struggling to stand, and then finally collapsed.

I had won. I had… actually won.

Firestorm turned around with an equally stunned expression, which slowly faded into a wild-eyed grin.

"You did awesome!" I exclaimed, giving the Charmeleon a thumbs-up.

"Alright admit it, you totally had the advantage there," Darren said, giving me a snide look.

I snorted and was about to ask what he meant, but then noticed him ever-so-slightly tilt his head. Right… the Pokémon that Firestorm was weak to in that match also had a trainer completely uninterested in training him.

"Okay, seriously, that was ridiculous, I'd have won hands down if you just let me use Ebony," Rudy grumbled, walking over to us.

"You've been using Ebony in every battle since she evolved," I said, rolling my eyes.

Rudy was unimpressed. "Well yeah, Houndoom are awesome and she always wins."

I wouldn't have said always, but he definitely had a pretty good record with her. When the two of them battled, they were almost perfectly in sync. Which was why I didn't really feel like arguing against his point.

"Aw whatever," he said, wandering off. He barely got five steps away before grabbing a Pokéball and letting out Ebony, who glanced up at him, tongue hanging out of her mouth.

"Ready to kick some more butts?" Rudy asked.

The firedog barked out an overexcited, "*Yeah!*" before running circles around him. Twice as big as she had been as a Houndour, now sporting a full set of horns and skeletal spines—still just a pup at heart. Finding an opponent right now was likely gonna be hard, though. Most of the rebels outside were currently watching the experiments battle.

Stygian only liked fighting the stronger rebels like Ray and Mai—right now the latter had pitted her Arbok and Primeape against the dark-type. Aros, on the other hand, would battle pretty much anyone at any time, bragging constantly about beating Pokémon half his level. I wasn't too sure how helpful that was, but Stalker hadn't made him stop. And the dragon never hurt anyone too badly. Mostly just egos.

Razors stood off to the side, watching the others. I still had yet to see him battle with anyone here, which was kind of a shame. I'd been looking forward to seeing his fighting style when he wasn't controlled by Team Rocket. But he always turned down any battle requests.

By now, Darren had let out the rest of his team members and was busy discussing the afternoon's training plan with them. The freshly-healed Ivysaur sat apart from the others and glowered at Firestorm, still sore from his recent defeat. Sandslash gave the grass-type a reassuring pat before gesturing for him to join the others. Psyduck and Kadabra welcomed him over while Sneasel, the newest addition to the team, listened to Darren with starry eyes.

"C'mon, let's see if we can get Psyduck to evolve today," he said to his team before the group of them walked off into the forest.

"*When am I gonna evolve?*" Firestorm's voice suddenly cut in.

"Is that the only thing you think about? I dunno, Stalker said you still had a ways to go, so I'm gonna trust him on that."

Firestorm scoffed. "*He always says that.*"

"Then it'll keep on being true until he says otherwise." The fire lizard snorted but didn't argue.

At some point the two of us joined the rest of the group watching the battle between Mai and Stygian. The Absol's movements were sluggish, and her left foreleg bore a purplish tinge—poison, most likely. Still, the white-furred beast kept deftly dodging punches from Primeape like they were nothing, following up with slashes of pink energy from the blade on her head.

Heavy wingbeats behind me caught my attention, and I turned to see a Pidgeotto approaching me from the trees. Swift! I hadn't seen him all day. Earlier I'd been wondering where he'd flown off to, but had forgotten about it with the events of the day.

The Pidgeotto landed on the ground (he was much too big to land on my arm like he used to as a Pidgey) and glanced up at me with an inquisitive look. "*Can you help me with something?*"

I tilted my head, bemused. "Sure?"

He glanced down and shifted his wings a bit, unsure of how to follow through with his request. "*There's writing on the walls of the quiet place that I like. Can you read it to me?*"

Was that all? Well, that was no big deal. "Sure, I guess? Is it in town?"

The tawny bird shook his head. "*It's in the forest.*"

What? A walled place with writing in the forest? Why was there…?

Swift hesitated upon seeing my change in expression. "*It's fine if you don't want to—*" he started.

"No, you've got me curious now. Let's go see it," I said.

The crisp autumn air swept through the trees, scattering multicolored leaves that blanketed the forest floor, resulting in a hearty crunch with each step I took. I was walking too slow for Swift to keep pace with me in the air without making constant circles, so the Pidgeotto glided from tree to tree, landing on the lowest and barest branch of each one. I hadn't asked how far away his quiet place was, but he was leading me deep into the heart of the island, in a completely different direction than the Rebellion's usual training path.

"So you fly out here often?" I asked him.

"*Sometimes,*" the bird replied. "*I like having a quiet spot to think. And it's an interesting place.*"

I still wasn't quite sure what could possibly be so interesting way out here in the forest, but that's why I was going with him in the first place.

Every so often, various wild Pokémon took notice of Swift and leaped out of the brush to challenge us. The wilds around here knew the local trainers were always up for a battle. And Swift was happy to oblige, striking his opponents down with his wings, dazzling them with his speed, and stirring up impressive whirlwinds with only a few flaps. After his third opponent, an energetic Raticate, was sent running with a rapid combination of Aerial Ace and Quick Attack, I couldn't help feeling my heart swell a bit with pride. Just two months ago, he'd been a tiny Pidgey, and now…

"You're getting pretty strong, you know that?" I said, unable to keep that pride out of my voice.

"*We all are,*" Swift replied matter-of-factly.

It seemed silly to include me in that statement, but in a weird way, I still appreciated it. Compared to the others my strategies still felt… really basic. And I took too long to come up with orders on the spot. Still, I couldn't deny that I had gotten better. My mind wandered back to the downright laughable first battle I'd had with Darren, the day that we'd all arrived on Midnight Island. The way that I'd just stared blankly at Swift, unable to come up with any orders. Anything was better than that.

"*Strength is nice, but it's not everything,*" Swift said, with an airy, offhand tone like he was thinking aloud. "*Training here has let me learn so many things. I want to know how everything works.*" He paused, looking down. "*It's not something Pokémon are supposed to think about, though.*"

I tilted my head. "Why do you say that?"

For several seconds, he didn't acknowledge that I'd said anything. Finally, in a soft voice, he replied, "*They said I asked too many strange questions.*"

Now that was hard to imagine, Swift asking too many questions. He'd barely ever talked at all until we'd started this journey together. But then… maybe that was because of the way his fellow Pokémon had reacted.

"That was before I found you, right?" I asked.

The Pidgeotto nodded. "*I do not remember much from that time, though.*"

He had been only a few months old when I'd found him. It was around six years ago, but the details of it still shone just as brightly in my memory as the day it had happened. Seeing the small, crumpled form of a Pidgey lying alone in the grass after what had probably been his first time flying far from home. Frantically biking home with one arm curled around a warm, trembling body. Getting told to drop him off at the Pokécenter, but staying there the entire time he was being treated. Releasing him the next day, only for him to return to my house every day after that, following me everywhere I went.

"You know… the last time I asked you why you came back, I couldn't understand you that much. Why did you?"

Swift paused to consider the question. "*I'd been curious about humans for a while,*" he said finally. "*Humans make so many interesting things. Humans do so many interesting things. I felt ready to join that world.*"

I stared at the ground sheepishly. "I guess you couldn't have asked me much about how things work back when I lived at home. I was too bad at Pokéspeech."

Swift's eyes brightened. "*I was glad when you started to learn Pokéspeech, even if it took a long time.*"

It was weird… it seemed like just yesterday that I had to focus all my effort into catching a few words out of Swift's chirps. And now we were conversing like nothing was more natural.

"I'm glad too."

The two of us continued on through the forest as the afternoon stretched on. After some time, I couldn't help noticing a gap in the trees ahead of us.

"*This is it,*" Swift announced after landing in a tree far ahead of me.

I jogged a bit to catch up with him and then the two of us emerged into a large clearing—one that was far from empty. In front of me stood a massive stone structure comprised of a wide, flat platform ringed by rectangular pillars twice my height. Crumbled chunks of moss-covered stone surrounded each pillar, like they'd once been supporting something even larger that had collapsed with age. All of the stone had a weathered and worn look that made the whole place feel downright ancient.

"Holy crap… this has been here the whole time? I had no idea…"

Movement, out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to the left and caught sight of a violet gas ball drifting lazily amongst the trees before crossing the clearing and vanishing through a pillar.

A Gastly.

Then again, that wasn't too surprising. The island was full of wild ghost-types (something about being close to Lavender Town). But we never saw 'em during the day. This was… weirdly early to see one out and about.

Swift must have noticed my bewildered expression because he piped up with, "*They come out early here. It's normal.*" I guess they couldn't have been too troublesome if he'd been coming here alone all this time, no problem.

The Pidgeotto flapped forward to perch on the closest pillar as I walked up the stone steps that led inside the ruins. Though the outside had been worn, the inside was practically untouched—not even any dirt or leaves littered the stone floor. The inward-facing sides of the pillars each featured a single, intricate symbol carved into their surface. But that was nothing compared to the far wall, which was completely covered with carvings in dozens of different scripts. Some of them vaguely familiar, most of them totally foreign. This had to be the writing Swift had been curious about. But even the familiar scripts were from languages that no one had spoken in, what, a few hundred years? Just how old were these ruins?

"I, uh… don't think I'm gonna be able to read any of this stuff. It's gotta be hundreds of years old, maybe more, and—"

I blinked. On one of the slabs was some writing I could actually read. At first, I was sure my eyes were just playing tricks on me, but there it was—words written in the Tohjoan alphabet. But there was no way that I'd be able to understand it; it'd likely be some ancient language that just happened to use the same—

It wasn't. It was actual, honest-to-god, Tohjoan.

This shrine stands here to honor those among the Order of the Legends who have fought to protect the balance of the world as an extension of the original purpose bestowed upon them. Yet even as the fires of war subside, the balance that they fought so hard to preserve is already on the inevitable path to being torn apart once again. Seven among the Order—the ones who dedicated both mind, body, and spirit toward ending the war—shall be empowered to forge an alliance with humankind so that both might endure. The seven are bound by their duty to seek out the interlopers to protect the balance of power in the coming era. For though none may prevail, what is set into motion shall be much greater indeed.

Legendary Pokémon. It was a message about Legendary Pokémon. But it wasn't written like a story… it was written like it was something that had actually happened. Something that would happen again. A war involving Legendary Pokémon that had happened once before and was going to happen again.

A prophecy, in other words.

"*What does it say?*" Swift asked.

I read the inscription out loud to him. The words sank deeper into my mind upon reading it a second time, and it was impossible not to wonder if it was more than just a legend.

"*Do you believe there is any truth to it?*" He'd said the words I'd been thinking.

"I… don't know." A great disaster that would force an alliance between humans and Legendaries… the idea sent an uncomfortable shudder running through me.

But… it couldn't really be a prophecy. Could it?

I shivered and started rubbing my arms as a chill swept through the ruins. The sky was reddening into dusk. And the ghost-types had grown more numerous, their gaseous bodies floating in and out of the shadows cast by the ruin pillars in the light of the setting sun. I wasn't too worried about them—Swift was strong enough to take on almost any wild Pokémon on the island, and most of the ghosts' moves couldn't even touch him. But there was no denying the chilling atmosphere they brought with them, or the way every hair on my body now stood on end. Right about now, the other kids were probably winding down for the night. Returning to the warmth of the stadium and curling up in the lounge to watch famous League battles with the rest of my teammates sounded particularly appealing at the moment.

I motioned to Swift. "Let's head back now." The Pidgeotto spread his wings and took off for the trees, and I hastened to follow him. There was something weird about that place. Something I couldn't quite pin down. And it wasn't going to stop bothering me until I got a chance to ask Stalker about it.

I didn't have to go out of my way to find Stalker to ask him about the ruins. In fact, he was the one who approached me the following day, flagging me down in the stadium as Rudy, Darren, and I returned from grabbing breakfast in town. I told the other two I'd catch up with them in a bit before making my way to the audience stands, where he was watching the rebels train.

"I've got an update regarding your last mission," Stalker said as I approached him.

I couldn't help flinching. Right, I'd almost forgotten. It had always been too much to hope that my little misadventure in Celadon wouldn't have any consequences.

"While your Rocket ID was never officially flagged for suspicion, it's likely they left it alone in the hopes that you'd use it to get into another base and be an easy target."

Of course. Why reject my ID at the door when they could just let me think everything was perfectly fine only to walk right into an ambush?

"I can always get you a new ID and bypass the background checks like I did with everyone originally, but that doesn't change the fact that you're more likely to be recognized now. So any missions where you'd interact with Rockets as one of them, those are all off the table now. You'll be limited to stealth missions."

Honestly… I was kind of okay with that. The idea of going back to Cerulean now and going about my grunt business like nothing had ever happened… wasn't very appealing.

"And I want a teleporter with you at all times in case things go south. One of your partners has a teleporter, right?"

"Yeah, Darren's Abra is a Kadabra now and they've started practicing long-range jumps," I said. "But I thought all the Rocket bases had teleport blockers?"

"They do, but it's still useful for making a getaway once you're outside."

I paused. Something was starting to feel a bit weird about all of this. It almost sounded like he'd be needing me to visit a Rocket base soon.

"Why bring this up now?" I asked. "Is there a big mission coming up?"

Stalker folded his arms. "I have a few suspicions. That's why I needed to figure out a way to continue to use you."

"…Specifically me?"

"You have the single strongest Pokémon on the Rebellion now," he replied simply.

I blinked. I… kind of did, didn't I? It seemed obvious now that he'd pointed it out, but I never would've made that realization otherwise.

"I'll let everyone know once I have more details. For now, keep training, and be ready for the next mission… it could be a big one," he said, turning to leave.

Hang on, I still needed to ask him about the ruins. "Wait. Before you go, I was wanting to ask something," I said quickly. Stalker turned back to face me, a curious look on his face. I honestly wasn't sure what the odds were that he'd know any more than I did. But it was worth a shot.

"I was taking a walk through the forest, and I… found something. Some kind of ruins."

At once, Stalker's eyes lit up with interest, and for a second it was like his calm, guarded air had just vanished. "What did you think of them?" he asked, the slightest edge of a grin crossing his face.

I blinked. That wasn't the response I'd been expecting. "You knew about them?"

"Of course," he replied. No explanation. Why wouldn't he know about them?

"How come you never mentioned them?" I asked.

"I didn't want everyone going there all at once, disturbing them," he said offhandedly. "I figured a few of you would stumble across it eventually though."

Huh. Well, I guess he was right about that.

"Those ruins are the reason I chose Midnight Island as the base location," he continued. "I'm fascinated by Legendaries and everything to do with them."

A glimmer of excitement was starting to build within me. "What did you think of the legend carved there?"

Stalker paused, considering the question carefully. "I believe it refers to the wars that tore through multiple regions 3000 years ago."

My eyes widened. "What, you mean the cataclysmic era?" I hadn't realized the legend could be referring to that. It was kind of a big deal—the only time in history that basically the entire world was caught up in wars. It was the start of our calendar and everything.

"You know about it?" Stalker asked, looking intrigued.

"Well yeah. I mean, I'm not an expert on it, but pretty much everyone's heard of it, right?" I paused, as the implications of that knowledge suddenly hit me. "Wait, hang on… if that legend was talking about something that actually happened… then what was with the ending?"

Stalker didn't respond for quite some time. Finally, in a low tone of voice, he said, "The writer obviously believed that history repeats itself."

Well that was unnerving. At least the odds of someone managing to accurately predict the state of the world 3000 years in the future was pretty ridiculous. Unless it really was a prophecy. Which it probably wasn't. Hopefully.

"Now it's my turn to ask you something," Stalker said.

I tilted my head. I hadn't been expecting that, but I nodded for him to go ahead.

"Why did you join the Rebellion?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What? That's a… weird question."

"Everyone joined this team for their own reasons. I want to know yours," he said matter-of-factly.

I immediately opened my mouth to respond, but then stopped. Why had I joined the Rebellion? I'd been vaguely in favor of the idea when I first met Stalker in the forest the day that Entei was captured. But it wasn't until after the plane incident that I'd really started to consider it for real. I'd told myself it was about protecting the Legendaries, but… that wasn't it, was it?

"To be honest… it was for entirely selfish reasons," I said slowly, more thinking aloud than really answering. "I wanted to get stronger. I heard about the fight and wanted to make a difference. I wanted to feel… important."

"And do you?"

I glanced up at him. "Huh?"

"Do you feel important now?" Stalker asked, gazing at me intently.

I stared at the ground, mentally repeating his words to myself. "I… I guess so?" I mean, I hadn't helped any Legendaries yet, but I'd freed the experiments. That had to count for something, right?

"Good. Now's the time for morale to be high," he said, walking past me. "We're doing something important here. I don't want anyone forgetting that."

Throughout the following week, my mind kept straying back to the ruins. Talking to Stalker really hadn't helped me stop thinking about them. In fact, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Especially considering that I had a strong suspicion that Stalker knew more about the ruins than he was letting on. He certainly had a way of answering questions without actually providing any info.

That said, I felt really, really stupid as I trudged through the woods in the direction I remembered Swift taking me. I mean, really… what was I doing? I had already read the legend. I remembered what it said. I just… couldn't stop thinking about it. Seven Legendaries had ended the cataclysmic era 3000 years ago, and now it was supposedly going to happen again, and if that was true, then wasn't it the sort of thing people should know about?

I had no idea what returning to the ruins was supposed to accomplish, but if going back there would help my brain shut up, then it was worth it.

I stepped into the clearing and was greeted with the familiar sight of the ancient stone structure. And just like last time, the place was crawling with ghost-types. Orblike Gastly weaved in and out of the pillars, flicking their long tongues and leaving trails of purple mist in their wake. It was still weird seeing them out this early, even if Swift said it was normal. I couldn't help keeping one hand on Firestorm's Pokéball as I approached the ruins, just in case any of the ghosts decided I looked like a target. But at the sound of my footsteps, they all scattered to the trees.

Something felt off about the place. More than the last time I was here, with Swift. I couldn't explain why, but an air of unease settled in as I walked up the stone steps into the center of the ruins. The great wall covered in writing loomed ahead of me. And then my eyes fell on the gaping hole currently in the middle of it.

What? That wasn't there last time.

My legs carried me closer to the opening without me telling them to. A thick groove was set into the stone floor where the wall segment had slid out of view. I leaned forward, peering down the passageway.

Stairs. Leading downward.

The urge to turn around and pretend I hadn't come back here suddenly struck. But part of me had to know what was down there. Especially if it offered more insight into everything that was written up here. And especially if Stalker didn't know this was here. Maybe he did… but the fact that he might not was what drove me to take the first step into the passageway. And then another. I shivered. The air in the stairway was drastically colder than the outside, making the hair on my arms stand on end. But soon I couldn't see them any more as the light from outside faded, leaving me in near total darkness. I braced my hands against the wall and took it one step at a time. Slowly, my eyes started to adjust, and I caught sight of a glow ahead of me. Just a few more steps now.

I emerged into a small, dimly lit stone chamber. The walls were absolutely covered in writings. And in the center of the room sat a waist-high pedestal. A jagged, crystalline stone sat atop the pedestal, giving off an eerie sheen.

I exhaled slowly, then coughed as I tried to breathe in the stale air down here. Just how old was this chamber? And that stone… had it been here since the ruins were built? Slowly, I stepped forward into the center of the room, turning around in a circle to look at all of the writing on the walls. And just like last time, my eyes fell on a portion of text that I could read. What in the world was modern Tohjoan doing in a place like this?

For several seconds, I didn't move. But curiosity won out in the end. I leaned forward, squinted at the writing in the dim light, and read:

Only one who is marked may remove this orb from its resting place, for none should have their fate bound that have not already chosen it for themselves. Three orbs were forged from the birth of this realm, and each has been sealed away so that the realms might remain separate forever. They lie in wait, sensing only the essence of those who would seek to restore balance to that which was never meant to exist. Though the seven patrons have been tasked with forging an alliance with humankind, they cannot prevent the fires of the Revolution from swallowing the land. When they have made their stand, joining the orbs together will be the only means to light a path to the truth that was hidden from this world.

A chill swept over me. Another legend. And this one didn't sound so pleasant—whoever wrote this one sure wasn't very optimistic about the future. It basically just made it sound like everything written upstairs was dead wrong. An alliance between humans and Legendaries? Nope, the world is screwed either way.

Then again, if Stalker was right, and it was written after the major multi-region wars that restarted the calendar, it was probably hard for anyone to be optimistic at the time.

As for the… orb? (It looked more like a stone to me. It wasn't round enough to be an orb.) It was impossible not to get the feeling that it was important, though. Sealed away in a secret chamber underneath ancient ruins with a foreboding message. Come on, that was the epitome of suspicious. But how was it still here? How come no one had found it and taken it after all this time?

'Only one who is marked may remove this orb…'

Well that was fine. It wasn't like I had any reason to steal a random artifact that I'd just stumbled across. Still, it'd be interesting to ask Stalker about it.

I turned to look away from it… but my eyes didn't want to leave. I blinked a few times, nonplussed. Okay, yeah, it was interesting, but there was nothing else to see here. I had to leave.

My body didn't move. I wasn't really going to just leave, was I? Not without investigating it closer. Even if the writings were just a myth, there was no denying that the orb, right here in front of me, was real. My legs carried me closer to the pedestal, and I leaned forward to stare at it closely. The orb's amber, crystalline surface caught the light shining down through the entryway, glinting with an oddly silvery sheen. Without entirely knowing why, I reached my hand out to run my fingers along it. The orb was cool to the touch, and it left an airy, tingly feeling in my fingertips.

I wanted it.

The writings? I wasn't sure what to think of them. But the orb? The orb was important. Somehow, nothing was truer than that.

My fingers slowly traced the edges of the orb. Encircling it. Clasping it. Lifting it. It took more effort than I expected. Like it was actually made of dense metal. Yet part of my brain expected it to slip right through my fingers like gas.

Wait.

Okay, no, what was I doing? Grabbing some random artifact from a cave and taking it? Yeah, that was a good idea—no way could anything bad ever come from that. In fact, even just being here felt like a bad idea. I still had no idea why the chamber had opened up (by itself?), and something told me I wouldn't like the answer. I was going to leave now.

Also the orb was still firmly clenched in my right hand. So I was going to set it down, then leave.

…Any second now.

No. I couldn't. I needed it.

Somehow, I was outside now. I hadn't noticed myself leave the chamber. And the orb, where was the—it was in my pocket now. Why had I taken it again? I couldn't remember. There was definitely a reason—an important reason—but…

Exasperation prodded at the back of my mind. Who really cared if I took the orb? It had been sitting down there for who knows how long, and if I wasn't supposed to have it, then the chamber shouldn't have opened in the first place.

The sun had already slipped out of view. Streaks of red and gold painted the clouds overhead, and the tiniest sliver of a crescent moon had appeared on the horizon. How long was I down there? I glanced back at the passage I'd apparently just exited, now feeling a tingle of unease. The stone entryway had already shut itself behind me.

"I… really need to show this to Stalker," I muttered to myself, reaching into my pocket to run my fingers along the orb's surface. But even as I said it, I knew I wouldn't. I couldn't show him. I couldn't show anyone. No one could know that I had it.

A sudden chill fell over the surrounding. I barely had a chance to register it before an icy gale swept through the ruins, throwing my hair in my face and chilling every inch of exposed skin.

"Explain your presence here, human."

I froze. The words were ice. They gripped my senses and resounded in my ears long after they had been spoken. Even stranger, the speaker was absolutely not human… but the words were not Pokéspeech.

Behind me. That's where the voice had come from. I'd have to look sooner or later. No matter how much I didn't want to. My movements dragged like mud as I forced myself to turn around. My eyes fell on the speaker. And my heart instantly jumped into my throat.

A slender beast stood atop the stone archway at the entrance to the ruins. Diamond-spotted cobalt fur covered a lithe frame with muscles poised to strike at any moment. Twilight glinted through crystalline antlers, casting sea-green highlights across the stone floor and making the ruins feel even more unearthly. But the weirdest thing was how its violet mane and ribbon-like tails constantly billowed through the air… like it was surrounded by its own personal whirlwind.

I'd only ever seen pictures… but it was unmistakably Suicune. The Legendary Beast of the North Wind.

It felt as though the air had gone from my lungs. I wasn't sure it hadn't really happened. Suicune. Right here, right now. Not across a clearing, being hunted by Rockets. Standing right in front of me, focusing on me and only me. Why was a Legendary focusing on me? I was nobody.

Except I was a nobody who happened to be standing here right at this moment, in a place I obviously wasn't supposed to be. What could I possibly say against that?

The beast spoke. "How did you get into that chamber?"

"I… what?" I stuttered, feeling my stomach dissolve. The chamber. If the ruins weren't off-limits, the chamber definitely was. And the orb. Oh god, I'd stolen the orb.

"How did you get into that chamber?" it repeated.

I had to tell it something. I swallowed hard and, with every effort to keep my voice from trembling, said, "I… I don't know."

"Do you honestly believe you can lie to me?" the cobalt beast replied icily.

My heart was pounding. "I'm not lying! It—it opened by itself."

Piercing crimson eyes bored into me. But then their owner tilted its head ever so slightly, and for just a second, it looked somewhat intrigued. "What was down there?"

I couldn't tell it about the orb. Wait, what? Why not? It was a Legendary Pokémon. Ancient treasures and prophecies and the like were supposed to be their area of expertise. At least, that's how all the stories went…

The North Wind continued to stare at me expectantly. Right, I hadn't answered its question yet. What was down there?

"More writings. Like the ones up here," I finally said.

"What did they say?"

I opened my mouth to speak… and found all memory of the legend completely gone.

"I… don't remember."

Anger flashed through the beast's eyes, and the air around it whipped into a frenzy. Oh god I'd done it now, angering a Legendary right to its face. I screwed my eyes shut, half expecting a frigid burst of wind to freeze me to the spot.

"Leave now. Do not return," the Legendary barked.

My eyes snapped open, and I stared at the beast in disbelief. I was so stunned that it took several seconds for my brain to register that I was going to be okay, I just had to leave immediately. Slowly, shakily, I took one step back. Then another. Then my legs finally got the message and I found myself bolting in the opposite direction as fast as they could carry me.

I reached the trees and ducked behind one, doubled over from the sudden rush of panic and my heart beating painfully fast. It wasn't following me, was it? I glanced over my shoulder to see that Suicune had leaped down from its perch and was now investigating the stone wall that had opened for me.

I sank back against the tree and let out a huge sigh of relief. I was in the clear. Unbelievable. Part of me had been so convinced that it was going to attack. I closed my eyes and focused on calming down and regaining control of my breathing.

Four. I'd seen four Legendary Pokémon so far. Entei, Raikou, Mewtwo, and Suicune. All four of them had the same overwhelming presence. All four gave off the same impression of pure power.

And then it properly hit me for the first time—for as amazing as the Legendary Pokémon were… they were absolutely terrifying.