The trio stepped out of Violet City, the morning sun casting a golden glow over the landscape. As they walked down Route 36, the path stretched smoothly ahead, lined with tall, sturdy trees swaying gently in the breeze. Their thick branches provided patches of cool shade, while beams of sunlight dappled the ground between the gaps.
Small bird Pokémon fluttered overhead, chirping as they hopped between branches. In the tall grass beside the road, a few Pokémon rustled—one with large ears perked up, twitching at the sound of footsteps, while another with a bushy tail slinked away before they could get a better look.
Rev, ever curious, pulled out his Pokédex and scanned one of the birds. "Pidgey," he read aloud. "Normal and Flying type. Nothing special, but it evolves into something stronger." He turned toward the grass and spotted the twitching ears again. Another scan. "Nidoran. Huh, there's two kinds—one's male, the other's female."
"Think they're strong?" Zane asked.
Rev shrugged. "Maybe."
Just then, a flicker of orange fur caught Boe's attention as something darted between the trees. Before he could get a better look, it was gone.
"What was that?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
Rev quickly aimed his Pokédex at the moving blur. The device beeped, displaying an entry. "Vulpix, the Fox Pokémon. It controls balls of fire with the six orange tails it is born with. As it grows, its tails split from their tips to become more numerous."
Rev raised an eyebrow. "Huh, a Fire-type. Pretty rare around here."
Boe grinned. "See? Told you this route was interesting."
As they continued, a wooden signpost came into view, slightly worn from age but still standing tall at the fork in the road. The arrow pointing straight ahead read "Goldenrod City – West," while another pointing south displayed the words "Ruins of Alph" in bold letters. The sign swayed gently in the breeze, as if inviting them toward their destination.
Boe motioned toward it. "Well, looks like this is our turn."
They veered off the main path, where the paved road quickly gave way to a dirt trail lined with short, uneven stone walls, some crumbled with age. The trees grew sparser here, allowing more sunlight to warm the grassy terrain. The air felt different—quieter, heavier, almost ancient.
"Feels kinda… eerie, doesn't it?" Zane muttered, eyeing the towering stone formations that started to appear in the distance.
Rev folded his arms. "Nah, just feels like we're heading into the middle of nowhere."
Boe smirked. "That's because we are. But trust me, this place has history—something about a civilization from thousands of years ago."
Rev scoffed. "Great. More history."
Zane sighed. "I just hope it's not boring."
As they stepped onto the worn stone path leading into the Ruins of Alph, the modern world seemed to fade behind them. The air was thick with the scent of earth and ancient stone. Distant voices filled the space—researchers discussing their findings, tourists marveling at the ruins.
Before them stood a vast expanse of weathered stone structures, some still standing tall despite the ravages of time, while others had crumbled into piles of moss-covered rubble. Pillars with intricate carvings jutted toward the sky, their surfaces smoothed by centuries of wind and rain. The remnants of a once-thriving civilization lay scattered across the site, each piece whispering of a forgotten past.
At the heart of the ruins stood a massive stone wall, its surface adorned with strange patterns and symbols. Some were worn down, their meanings lost to time, while others remained sharp and deliberate. The symbols seemed to dance across the stone, shifting ever so slightly in the flickering sunlight.
Boe's eyes widened in recognition. He had seen these symbols before—Unown writing.
"Whoa…" Boe breathed, stepping closer to the carvings. His fingers brushed the stone, tracing the looping and jagged shapes etched deep into the wall. "I think this is… Unown script."
Rev tilted his head. "Unown script?" He folded his arms, eyeing the markings skeptically. "Looks like someone just threw a bunch of weird letters on a wall."
Zane stepped up beside them, examining the carvings. "So what does it say?"
Boe frowned. "I don't know… but I remember reading about this. Some people think this script was important to the people who lived here a long time ago."
A nearby researcher, a woman in a beige field jacket and thick-rimmed glasses, overheard and approached with an intrigued smile.
"You're not wrong," she said. "This script is one of the earliest known writing systems in this region. In fact, it's believed that these symbols eventually evolved into the modern writing system we use today."
Zane raised an eyebrow. "Wait—you're saying our alphabet comes from this?"
The researcher nodded. "That's right. It may look different now, but the foundation of our written language can be traced back to the patterns left behind by this ancient civilization."
Rev gave a low whistle, finally giving the carvings a proper look. "Huh. Guess that's kinda cool."
Boe, however, remained focused on the symbols themselves. Something about them felt… alive. The markings almost seemed to shift when he wasn't looking directly at them. A chill ran down his spine.
The trio cautiously stepped deeper into the ruins, entering a dimly lit stone chamber. The walls were adorned with more ancient carvings, their meanings lost to time. Dust filled the air, and faint light seeped through cracks in the ceiling, casting eerie shadows across the floor.
Zane folded his arms. "So… what now?"
Rev looked around, unimpressed. "Feels like a dead end. No puzzles, no hidden switches. Kinda boring."
Boe, however, was drawn to a strange pattern on the far wall. The symbols looked similar to the ones outside, but something about them seemed… different. His curiosity overtook him, and without thinking, he reached out and placed his hand on one of the carvings.
The moment his fingers made contact, a deep, resonating hum filled the chamber.
The walls trembled. Dust and debris crumbled from the ceiling as the ancient symbols glowed with a ghostly light, flickering and shifting as if they had come to life.
"What did you do?!" Zane shouted, stepping back.
"I—I don't know!" Boe stammered, pulling his hand away.
Before they could react further, shadowy shapes emerged from the walls, their bodies twisting unnaturally. A swarm of Unown materialized, their unblinking eyes glowing in the dim chamber. They floated silently, moving in an eerie synchronized pattern. Their presence was mesmerizing and unsettling all at once.
Rev took a step back, his hand hovering near one of his Poké Balls. "Okay, that's creepy."
Zane swallowed hard. "Yeah… real creepy."
The Unown hovered in place, watching them—waiting. The air grew heavier, as if the ruins themselves were holding their breath.
Boe's heartbeat pounded in his chest. Whatever he had just activated… they were not alone anymore.
The eerie silence stretched between them and the floating Unown, their single eyes unblinking, fixed intently on the trio. The air thickened, making every breath feel heavy.
Zane, ever bold, took a cautious step forward. "Uh… hey there?" He raised a hand in a hesitant wave. The Unown shifted slightly, almost in response. Encouraged, he reached out toward one of the hovering symbols. "What even are you?"
The moment his fingers neared the closest Unown, a pulse of energy rippled through the chamber.
Everything went white.
A sudden rush of heat and golden light surrounded them, and in the blink of an eye, the trio found themselves… somewhere else.
The soft rustle of wind filled the air, and they were standing beneath an immense, dark sky, watching as flames flickered along a distant horizon. Something in the air felt different here—distant, unreal—but unmistakably present. It was like being thrust into a dream or a vision of something they couldn't quite understand.
Before them stood a massive stone pagoda, its sharp silhouette cutting against the glowing embers in the sky. Everything around it seemed engulfed by fire.
The trio stood frozen, unable to move, as the vision shifted—everything swirling around them until the flames became darker, the ground shaking with a sudden, deafening roar. The air grew hot, thick with the sound of something ancient and terrible stirring. Something that felt as if it could break free at any moment.
Zane's voice cut through the air, almost a whisper. "What is this…?"
Boe, voice trembling, replied, "I don't know… but I think it's connected to… something special."
Before the vision could resolve any further, the air cracked with an unseen force, and they were pulled back. The stone chamber of the ruins returned as abruptly as it had disappeared. The Unown were gone.
Only silence remained. None of them knew what it meant. None of them knew why the Unown had shown them that vision. But one thing was certain—their journey had just gotten a lot more mysterious.
The trio stumbled out of the chamber, their legs unsteady, minds still reeling from the vision they had just witnessed. The cool afternoon air outside felt like a relief after the oppressive stillness of the ruins.
The researcher from earlier rushed over the moment he saw them. His eyes widened at their shaken expressions. "You're back! That was fast." Then, he noticed their pale faces. "What happened in there?"
Boe hesitated before answering. "We… saw something. A vision, I think. Of a tower burning. And three Pokémon—huge, powerful, but we didn't recognize them."
The researcher's eyes practically sparkled with excitement. "A vision?! That's incredible! The Unown must have shown you something from the past!" He hurriedly pulled out a notepad and began scribbling furiously. "Tell me everything. Every detail. This could be groundbreaking!"
Rev crossed his arms. "Well, there was a tower—looked pretty important—and then it just… caught fire. People tried to stop it, but the flames spread fast."
Zane added, "And then these three Pokémon came out of the fire. They looked strong—really strong."
The researcher's hand flew across the page, jotting down every word. "Amazing… Simply amazing!" He turned on his heel, waving at the other researchers. "Everyone! Come quickly! You won't believe this!"
A group of researchers rushed over as he relayed what the trio had described. Their hushed voices filled the air, their excitement bubbling over as they all hurried toward the chamber.
Boe watched them disappear into the ruins, then let out a deep sigh. "Yeah… I'm done with this place."
Zane nodded quickly. "Agreed. That was way too weird for me."
Rev stretched his arms and grinned. "Yeah, yeah, let's get moving. We've got a whole journey ahead of us, and I don't want to waste any more time getting haunted by floating eyeballs."
With that, the trio turned away from the Ruins of Alph and made their way back toward the main path. Ahead, the sign for Route 32 pointed them south—toward their next adventure.
They didn't know what awaited them there, but after everything they had just seen, a simple route with wild Pokémon sounded a whole lot safer than messing with ancient mysteries.