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The Dark Type	By : Manifest Destiny Category: Pokemon > General Views: 36309 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Pokemon is copy write by GameFreak, INC. and Nintendo. I make no money from this story, nor do I seek any.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
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Chapter 18: Guardian Angel
—————
A frantic yell broke the silence. It carried on into the darkness, echoing down the tunnels for distances unknown. The noise slowly died down, swallowed up by the hollow void. Iruni could feel pain exploding from his head. Did he hit it? When was that? The pain distorted everything around him. He couldn’t see. He coughed as he tried to breathe; the air he took in was stale and dusty.
“You’re awake!” a voice called out to him. It was Rikalia’s. He could remember that.
Iruni tried to sit up slowly, his vision was still a blur. He blinked hard, panic beginning to set in.
“Rika?” he called into the dark. “Where are you? Are you alright? I can’t see.”
“I’m fine,” Iruni heard her say. He felt a pair of clawed paws grasp his outstretched arm, lowering it slowly. “Here. I’m right here…” she said.
“Wh— Why can’t I see?” Iruni asked, waving his hand in front of his face. His addled mind was panicking, placing a number of terrible conclusions to his current state.
“It’s too dark down here. Your eyes look… Well, your eyes are probably fine.”
“You can see?” he asked, thinking on it. His head was clearing up now. “Right. Dark types, and your species have great low-light vision.” Iruni took a few deep breaths, calming himself. He picked up a few more things from what Rikalia had just said. “Down ‘here’?” he asked her. “Where are we?”
“Remember? We fell.”
—————

Hours Earlier…

“What’s this drink called again?” Rikalia asked.
She stared at the pot of black, stinking liquid bubbling out of the machine on the counter. It had woken her up, with its bubbling noise and the pungent smell it gave off. She had planned on sleeping in this morning too. The groggy Sneasel looked over at her human trainer sitting in a chair, cradling his head in his hands. “Are you okay? You look sick.”
“Head feels awful,” Iruni said in a dull voice.
“My fault?”
“No,” he said, rubbing the side of his head. “This is what you get if you drink too much alcohol.”
“Is that why you didn’t let me have any?” she asked. Iruni had adamantly discouraged her curiosity the previous night regarding the many beverages their group consumed in celebration. “You guys looked like you were having fun.”
“You can’t have alcohol, Rika.” Iruni poured himself a mug of the dark liquid, steam rising from the cup. A fresh wave of the smell wafted towards her as Iruni blew on the hot coffee. He took a quick sip and set it on the table again. “It’ll really mess up your insides.”
“But humans can drink it no problem?” she asked. “That’s not fair. You guys were laughing your heads off.”
“Not completely, no. It’ll still get us drunk and hurt our liver if we overdo it,” said Iruni. He shrugged, “Don’t ask me on the specifics, I couldn’t really tell you.”
“What about that stuff then?” she asked, pointing to the pot on the burner. “It smells… good, I think.”
“There shouldn’t be anything in coffee you can’t have,” he said. Iruni poured her a small amount into cup. “Let it cool a bit, but it’s better warm.”
“Easy,” said Rikalia. She gripped the white mug with her claws, holding it carefully with both paws. She inhaled, calling upon a tiny bit of energy, and blew just like Iruni had. Her breath was much cooler, leaving a small layer of frost on the rim of the cup. The dark liquid inside no longer let off any steam. She grinned up at Iruni before bringing the cup to her face.
“Ick—bleh!” she managed to swallow the small amount she drank, but was cringing at the taste. Rikalia practically shoved the cup of coffee back into Iruni’s hand. “That’s awful! Too bitter!”
“It helps,” said Iruni, taking a longer drink from his own mug. “Plus it wakes you up.”
“I noticed…” Rikalia said, grimacing at the pot above her. She looked around the room, looking for what could replace the taste in her mouth. Relief came in the form of a few sweet berries she had saved. They disappeared before Iruni could take another drink of coffee. “So, what’s our plan now?” she asked.
“Well, for starters,” said Iruni, “Alice won’t be joining us. She’s going to stay here in town for a few days and we need to move on. Plus I got an email from Professor Elm saying Cartographers shouldn’t stick too close to each other.”
“What about the dragon people?”
“Who?”
“Coralis and his friends,” Rikalia said. It took Iruni a moment to understand the nickname.
“Oh right.” He took another drink, draining the mug. “They’ll probably set off today some time. That other guy… I think his name was Tyler? He was pretty far gone after last night.” Iruni stood up from his chair and walked over to the nightstand, picking up a folded bunch of paper. He unfolded the map on the bed, motioning for Rikalia to join him.
“This is Violet City,” he said, leaning over and pointing to a cluster of lines. “Roads,” he explained, “are your best markers to look for on a map, apart from the obvious mountains or bodies of water. I think,” Iruni said, dragging his finger over the laminated paper, “we should head this way, taking Route 36 a ways, and taking a detour south, through the Ruins of Alph. Then go straight to Route 32 from there.”
“But wouldn’t it make sense,” she said, pointing to the lines on the paper, “to just head down from where we are?”
“We could, but I’m not in that much of a hurry. Going straight to Route 32 would save us about a day of walking, but I always wanted to see the ruins there.” He gathered up the map and folded it back into a smaller square. “My job as Cartographer would really benefit if I cover more ground, plus the extra time will be good for some special training.”
“Special?” she asked.
“For you,” he said, poking her forehead. “We spent the last week preparing for the Gym Battle, and we mostly worried about Kar’s fear of birds. Kreen was brought up to speed to help with that, and Atanya’s too strong for her own good anyway.”
“What do I need to train for? I’m fast, strong, and good with all of my moves, right?”
“Not all of them,” said Iruni. “Your Dark Pulse.”
Rikalia’s eyes widened at the mention. She had pushed that topic to the back of her mind these past few days with their first Gym Battle coming up. Since the revelation of her knowing the skill, Rikalia had tried in private to call upon the Dark type energy she seemed to naturally generate. Unfortunately, she was at a complete loss on how to start. “You’re going to help with that? Really?”
“I think we’ve put if off long enough.”
—————

Now…

Sitting in the darkness all around him, Iruni couldn’t help but blink. It was like someone had taken all light in the world away from him. Over and over again he opened and shut his eyelids, finding no change in what he could see. Small dots of color moved around his field of vision, just tricks of the eye.
“What—” he recoiled, pulling his hand away from his head. Another wave of pain washed over him, wracking him senses. Noise was blotted out for a few moments before fading back into clarity.
“…—touch your head!” Rikalia tried to warn him.
Iruni felt around above his ears, finding a long strip of cloth tied around his head. As he explored the new headwear, he pulled his hand back; it was damp with something. He shivered at the implications.
“Okay…” Iruni finally said. He gestured in the dark to his injured head, “What happened?”
“You hit your head on our way down here. I’m not sure on what,” said Rikalia. “I noticed the blood and did my best to wrap the wound tightly, just like you showed me.”
Iruni’s adverse and inconvenient reaction to witnessing any amount of blood was a concern of Rikalia’s ever since she accidentally cut up his arm with her claws. Rikalia had been stunned at the scene that unfolded; she had never seen someone so quickly shut down and collapse from the mere sight of something. After voicing the concern to Iruni some weeks later, the two settled on a plan. Iruni taught her, with some help from his father where his own knowledge was lacking, how to treat most sorts of freely bleeding wound Iruni might endure. In case he were to lose consciousness from the sight of his own blood out in the wilderness, he certainly wouldn’t have been able to patch himself up.
“Did I do a good job?” she asked.
“You did a great job,” Iruni said. He smiled, hoping she could see it in the dark. “Thank you, Rika.”
He wiped his hand on his shirt; he was going to try and get some light and he didn’t want to see any of that. He felt around his wrist for his PokéGear. His fingers hit jagged plastic. From his sense of touch, it was obvious the mobile device had been ruined in the fall. Maybe he had landed on it, or he unknowingly hit it off the stone walls around him as he fell.
“Damn…” He felt around in his pocket. With luck, he pulled out his Cartographer’s Pokédex. The device was tough as a rock just by looking at it. He hoped they were built to last. Iruni pressed the button to bring it back from its idle mode.
—————

Earlier…

“Alright, first we’re going to try a blind test.”
Iruni, Rikalia, and Karros were grouped just off of the well-worn road of Route 36. Violet City was about an hour’s walk behind them now, and after a late lunch the training for Rikalia’s hidden Dark type technique was beginning to take shape. It is a strange concept, when looked at on paper, that a human could know a Pokémon’s abilities better than they could themselves, but such occurrences were becoming more common in this day and age. Training to be a Move Tutor in one of various specializations has risen in popularity as a career path. Although Iruni himself was nowhere near as qualified to provide his talents professionally, knowing the ins and outs of Dark type techniques had become second nature to him.
“Gotcha.” Rikalia was standing in front of him, back turned, claws flexed.
“How you release the pulse is up to you. Some Pokémon release it from their mouth like a roar, others gather the energy in their paws or hands. I think that will work best for you.”
“Why?” she asked.
“It’s what you’re already used to when you channel your Ice type energy, though you have been getting better at the Icy Wind technique,” Iruni said. “But for now, just try your best to find the Dark energy inside you, gather it, and release.”
Rikalia nodded, and set her focus on the tree in front of her. She thought inwardly, searching for that switch in her mind. She knew what her Ice powers felt like. She knew what was like to call on that energy. She could call on them in an instant, even if her control was still a little shaky. It felt separate from her and a part of her at the same time, like flexing another set of claws. She stood, tense, for a long time before letting go of a breath.
“I can’t do it,” she growled in defeat.
Iruni knelt down to her, rubbing her back. “Hey, it’s alright. I didn’t expect you to anyway.”
Rikalia turned around and have him an annoyed look. “Then why’d you make me try like that?”
“I said it was a blind test,” said Iruni. “You went all this time not knowing you had the Dark Pulse technique already within your capabilities. I wanted to see if it was going to be as simple as you actually trying it once you knew you had it. Clearly, it isn’t.”
“Oh. Then how do I do it?” she asked.
Iruni nodded to Karros, sitting a few feet away. “He’ll be a better tutor for you now.” Iruni pulled a small plastic case from his pocket, and handed it to Rikalia for her to look at. “You know what that is?”
“Uhh… isn’t this one of those music things? Dee-cees?”
“No,” he said. “It’s not a CD. That is Dark Pulse.”
“Huh?” Rikalia held the plastic case up to the sun, letting the light dance all over the colored disk inside. “This is in my head?”
Iruni chuckled, taking the case back. “No, no. This is one of the wonders of human technology, Rika. Here.” He waved Karros over. Iruni pulled his Houndour’s Poké Ball from his belt and recalled him. He made sure Rikalia could see what he was doing as he explained it. He removed the dark gray disk from its container and inserted it into a slot on the side of his bulky Pokédex.
“And now,” a notification on the screen popped up, “Kar knows Dark Pulse too!”
Rikalia’s jaw dropped, “What? How?”
In a burst of light, Karros was back among them. He shook himself from the disorienting experience, but it was one he was used to by now.
“A ‘Technical Machine’, Rika, is an artificial way that Pokémon can learn techniques. Not all moves can be taught this way, but the ones that can are relatively simple.” Iruni explained, in as much detail as he could, the process of how the data on the TM’s disk was imparted to the Pokémon inside their Poké Ball. “Now, Kar can give you advice on Dark Pulse with some firsthand experience.”
Iruni patted his Houndour’s head and asked for him to demonstrate for Rikalia. Turning around, Karros planted his four paws squarely on the ground. Opening his jaws wide, an orb of swirling purple energy began building. When Karros unleashed the energy, it sped towards the tree in a spiraling motion. Upon impact, a low note seemed to resound in the immediate area, dark waves of energy rippling from the point of impact. The bark on the target tree, as well as a few around it, was darkened and wisps of energy crackled and lingered for a few moments.
Rikalia stared wide-eyed at the technique’s aftermath. “That was awesome! I’m going to be able to do that?”
“That’s the plan, but there’s something else I want you two to do,” Iruni said, kneeling to his two Dark type Pokémon. He looked to his Houndour, “Karros, you’re going to be able to give Rika a much better understanding of what Dark Pulse feels like than I ever could. And when Rika can control it to the best of her abilities,” he turned to look at Rikalia now, “Then I want you to teach him.”
She tilted her head, confused. “What do I know that Kar doesn’t?”
“I want you to teach Karros how to talk to me, like you can.”
—————

Now…

“Ow!” It was unclear who screamed in pain first; it hardly mattered.
After being submerged in pitch darkness, the sudden flash of light from the bright LCD screen was like a hundred suns appearing in the night sky all at once.
“Warn me first before you do that!” Rikalia yelled. Her anger was well placed. A Sneasel’s eyes could still see in perfect darkness and be unaffected by regular nighttime darkness. A bright flash in the void they shared really stung, but she wasn’t about to hold a grudge in their situation. After a few moments, they could finally see their surroundings.
The illumination that the Pokédex provided cast a slight blueish hue and sent sharply angled shadows over the walls. A low ceiling of stone loomed over their heads, leaving just enough room for Iruni to stand upright. He waved the dim light in front and behind him, seeing that they were in what seemed to be a long corridor or underground passage. He looked to the floor, instantly relieved when he saw his traveling gear a few feet away from him. Nothing seemed broken as he sorted through his belongings. It calmed him to know now what he did and didn’t have. He glanced at the Pokédex’s screen, and realized something else he didn’t have.
[Battery: 23%]
Time.
—————
[Cartographer Log: 4/19/00]
[Cartographer ID: B. I. Thomas (53142)]
[“Hello, Professor Elm? God, I hope this makes it through…
“I need help. I’m… I don’t even know what, but I’ve fallen down into these underground tunnels beneath the Ruins of Alph. I’m… stuck, basically. It’s dark, musty, but I can breathe, so there’s at least air in here. I have supplies, a little light to go by with my Pokédex and flashlight, but none of that is going to last forever. I’m going to try and find my way through these passages with my Pokémon. There has to be way out if I found my way in. Please, if you can, respond to this and help me. In any way you can.
“I’ll only be turning this on once an hour to check for a reply, or if I need extra light. So don’t be too worried if I don’t respond right away.
“We’ll be okay, Rika. I promise.”]
[ERROR 307: Message not sent. No service detected.]
[Retry?]
[YES] [NO]
—————

Earlier…

Iruni ran his bare hand over the hip-high stone beside him. He was shocked at the amount of weathered rock and gravel that clung to his hand. He nervously brushed the grainy dust off his hand as he looked away from the [“Keep Hands Off”] sign he had not noticed.
“You wanted to come here?” Rikalia asked him. The Sneasel stood on his shoulders, pushing herself up as she looked at the ruins around them.
Moss grew in places, crawling up the sides of some of the ruined structures. Low roofed buildings with entrances wide enough for many to come and go. Some were large, others small. Some broken foundations remained of buildings long since destroyed, either by time or another event. Small ponds were scattered around here and there. Trees lined the site of the ruins on all sides.
“It’s a dump.”
“A historical dump,” Iruni corrected her. “This place is one of the oldest sites of ancient civilization in the world.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, slumping down and resting her head on top of his.
The discovery and subsequent research of the Pokémon called Unown sent a surge of interest in the Ruins of Alph around the world. The strange, letter-like Pokémon communicated on telepathic wavelengths that continue to baffle researchers. The waves were first picked up on simple radios, the transmission of said waves further confusing many authorities on the subject of Psychic type Pokémon and brain wave patterns.
Iruni saw one—just one—float from one of the buildings and into another. Curious, he went in that direction. A few of the larger buildings in the ruins were open to tourists or the occasional Pokémon trainer who might want to try and capture one of the many Symbol Pokémon that lived inside.
Inside, it was impossibly dark. It took Iruni a few moments to realize that a few lights had been strewn up to allow passage through the decaying temple. The Unown he had been tailing was long gone, but he had wanted to venture inside one of these buildings anyway. He walked down the few corridors that were allowed public access, trying his best at deciphering the carvings on the wall.
“The symbols,” he explained to Rikalia, “are a lot like our letters. Some are different, but with a little concentration… ‘Ours is the voice of Him.’”
“What’s that mean?”
“I don’t know. I— Ah!”
A noise; sharp and whining, pierced Iruni’s head. The longer he listened, it went higher and lower at a rapid rate. It scraped around in his head and against his skull. He gripped the sides of his head, letting out a scream. His vision was blurry. Iruni felt clawed paws hold his hands, heard a voice that wasn’t the noise that was piercing his ears. Rikalia sounded confused, worried, scared.
Iruni saw lights all around him. The noise in his head came from those lights. He was sure of it. He knew. He could see the sound. He saw the lights, where they spun, where they danced, and where they were not. The darkness looked inviting, almost as if it was calling to him. He moved where the lights were not, unable to hear the cries of worry and warning from the creature oh his shoulders.
He finally reached the darkness, and it surrounded him.
He fell.
—————

Later…

It was late afternoon now. Spotty cloud cover, a nice breeze, rain maybe on Thursday, but he would be long gone by then. Before opening the door and stepping out into the hall, Allan Relmstead checked himself one last time. Shoes; laced up tightly. Belt; pulled tight around his waist. He ran his hand across it; three Poké Balls were clipped to it, but only two were occupied right now. He never could bear to leave her confined for very long. Umari; happily perched on his shoulder. He took a moment to pet her head.
‘Are we ready now?’ the Eevee asked, her mental voice ringing through is head. She’d been waiting impatiently for the past half hour.
Allan was determined to not forget anything before setting out this time. His new PokéGear had been checked for three times now. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his badge case, opening it. He momentarily looked at the Zephyr Badge snugly pressed into its slot, relived it hadn’t somehow flown away on its own with those tiny silver wings.
“Yes,” he said as he put away the case. “I’m sure that’s everything.” He walked out of the Violet City Pokémon Center, inhaling as a warm gust of wind blew his way. The gentle push of nature guiding him south, just where he was intending on going.
“The wind’s at our backs,” Allan said, walking down the road. “One victory already to our names.” He smiled wide, his eyes full of hope. “It’s all uphill from here, Umari. Azalea Town won’t know what hit it.”
—————

Now…

Iruni sat in the darkness, alone.
Fifteen minutes ago, he had sent Rikalia off into the passageway in which they had found themselves in. The first big question they faced when they were calm enough to ask it, was which way to go in search of the exit. He was hoping that after this simple test, he would have his answer. Iruni instructed her to walk, not run, in one direction for ten minutes. After which time, she would return to him, regardless of what she did or didn’t find. Iruni continuously, autonomously, tapped the hard stone floor with the metal end of his pocketknife’s handle, giving Rikalia an idea of where he was.
The time alone had allowed him to think hard about their situation. The big questions sometimes came with easy answers.
“What do I do about my other Pokémon?” Lock them in stasis, there’s not enough food and I don’t need Kar for fire right now.
“What about Rikalia?” With all the Pokémon food I have, she’ll have plenty of food. Though I doubt she can eat Kreen’s. I need her with me though. I can’t be alone down here.
“What if Rika comes back without finding out anything?” We take our chances with the other direction first. Only turn around if we reach a dead end.
“What about splits in the tunnel?” Repeat our initial test.
“What happens if we run out of food?” Ration food we have. Preserve water as best we can.
“What if we never find an exit?” …
Iruni didn’t want to think about that last one. Not while escape was still technically viable. He lifted his PokéGear up and closed his eyes in preparation. He clicked the button to try to bring it back from its idle state, but no bright flash burned into his eyelids. He tried it a few more times before sighing in defeat. Its battery was dead, or it had been completely destroyed in the fall. Groping around in the dark, he put the device in his backpack and securely zipped the pocket back up.
“Hey.” He felt a sudden presence grip his hand.
His echoing scream carried on for hundreds of feet in the dark tunnels. “Don’t just do that!” Iruni said.
“You stopped your tapping. I didn’t know I was already here,” Rikalia complained. “The zipper scared me.”
“I was— Nevermind that. What did you find?” In his head, it felt shorter than twenty minutes since Rikalia went off alone into the darkness. He hoped she’d returned with good news.
A dry, hollow, rattling sound was his answer. He sat upright in Rikalia’s direction and felt around on the ground. He picked up was felt like branches or sticks. Old wood that was brittle under his touch. They were thick, sturdy, and carried a fresh earthly scent.
“They’re tree roots,” said Rikalia. “I found them breaking through the walls and ceiling. They’ve completely blocked off that way. I cut away some of them, just in case we’d need them.”
“This is great,” Iruni said. He told Rikalia to be prepared to cover her eyes as he rummaged through his backpack for his lighter. A few quick swipes of his thumb later and he held the gnarled root that became a torch. As his eyes adjusted to the newfound light around him, he stood and carefully put on his backpack.
“Come on Rika,” he said. “We’re walking out of here.”
Still wincing from the new source of light, Rikalia picked up the rest of the tree roots and joined her trainer as they began their newly illuminated journey underground.
—————
“Here, hold this.”
Iruni passed the burning tree root to Rikalia, who recoiled at the heat it gave off.
“But it’s so hot…” she complained. It burned her eyes to be so close to a source of light in the pitch blackness.
“Then try and wedge it in some rocks over there,” he said, pointing at some of the destroyed walls around them. “Just make sure it doesn’t fall down.”
They found their first major change in scenery in days; a cave. A collapsed section of the tunnel system that opened into a small cave. Rikalia could see a shimmer on the ground, and Iruni was kneeling by it. Curious, she quickly found a break in the stone floor and jammed the tree root carefully in, securing it upright.
“It’s water,” she remarked. A small pool of water sat silently in the darkness. Iruni was filling up his water container.
“Must be some underwater stream. Maybe this place collapsed because of a large reservoir or sink hole… I don’t know.” He wasn’t really talking to her. Just stating what he thought. He did that a lot.
It was nice to see something that seemed like it was natural, Rikalia thought idly. She’d never been great at telling time, so she was unsure how many days they’ve been walking in the flat, human-made tunnels. The stones were making her feet hurt. The best she’d been able to remember events down here was when she remembered when they met a crossroad or found one of the odd chambers. They all had the strange symbols that Iruni could read. All talking about Alpha and his voice. His words.
Rikalia didn’t care about those old stories. Her life and the immediate problem in it was all that occupied her mind.
“I’m glad I don’t have to make you any ice for a while,” Rikalia said, sitting down next to the small pool of water. “And for me too, I guess.”
“I think now’s a good time to have some food,” said Iruni.
That lightened her spirits a bit. She was terribly hungry. She never really stopped since they fell down here. Iruni had been constantly warning her to not beg for food often. She understood, but that didn’t make it any better. They had to keep their food lasting as long as possible. She could tell they had run out of her specific food a while ago. The last things she ate definitely reminded her of Karros’ breath.
She lied back on the uneven earth, trying to relax in some way.
“We’ll be okay.”
“What’s that?” asked Iruni.
“I mean, we’ll be fine.” Rikalia looked over at him. “I know we’ll be getting out of this place. When I was growing up, one of the good memories that I have from then, was the story my family told us; my brothers and me.” She closed her eyes, thinking back the story she was told.
“The forest has a guardian angel. Not just our forest, but all of them. It loves the trees, the streams, the rocks, and the skies above them. It loves us all and will help us when we need it, not when we ask for it. It’s kind, gentle, and fair. When… When I was… alone, before you found me, I believe I was helped by the forest spirit. It was the first few months of winter… I was hungry… I was awful at hunting. I went to sleep hungry, in a tree that had been gray and cold since the snow began falling. When I woke up, the tree was alive and green, but the snow was still falling. It was full of berries that were sweet to eat.
“I didn’t know until I was living with you that they were called ‘Pecha’ berries.”
She looked back to Iruni, who was setting out food for himself to eat.
“I know you’ll get us out. You were always going to. You’ve always done what you needed to. You brought me out of that blizzard, even after I was so mean to you. You’re trying to help me get the hang of my Dark type powers, even though it’s hurting you. You worked so hard with Kar and his fear of birds. You’re still working with him. You’re working hard with the professor on this Cartographer thing. That’s to help people. You’re not going to let whatever happened to us stop you from…”
She sat up, looking over at Iruni. He’s hunched over his open backpack, not touching his food.
“Iruni?” she stood up, walking over to him. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re out of food,” he said flatly. “When we fell, a lot of the Pokémon food I brought got ruined. Packages broken, torn, crushed.”
Rikalia looked down at what Iruni was holding. It was her Umbra Ball.
“I thought,” he continued, “we’d be okay. I had a lot. Enough to keep everyone fed, well past when we’d get to Union cave… but…”
“It… It’s okay, right?” Rikalia asked. “I—I mean, I can have some of your food.”
Iruni turned his head and looked at her. The look in his eyes said “regret”.
“You know why I can’t do that. I’d run out of food twice as fast. Then we’d be in real trouble.”
Her heart began pounding in her chest, knowing already what he was going to do. “I… I don’t mind. I’ll just go hungry. We’re going to get out of here soon anyway. I believe in you.”
“Rika…” Iruni stood up, enlarging her Poké Ball. “I can’t do that to you.”
“Well you can’t do this to me!”
Her voice echoed in their little cavern and down both ways the tunnels burrowed in the ground.
“You can’t put me in there… You’ll be all alone.”
“I’ll be fine, Rika.”
“What if you won’t? Wh— What if you don’t find a way out?” Her eyes were welling up with frantic tears.
“I will,” he said, giving her a kind smile. She wished with all of her heart that she wouldn’t be parted from it. “You said so yourself, remember?”
“But that… that was with me staying by your side.”
Iruni got down on one knee and cupped the side of her head in his hand, wiping away the tears there.
“You will be. I promise. When I make it out of here, we’ll—”
“No…” she backed away from him. She felt fear. Not of him, but of what might happen should he— “No! You can’t! I don’t want to go!”
“Rika… please…” he held up her ball, aiming it at her. “You have to.”
“But… I—”
—————
Iruni stood alone. Silent. He held Rikalia’s Umbra Ball in his hand. It didn’t move. Rikalia was in stasis. The next time he released her, it will have felt like no time passed for her.
Rika…
The light dimming in the small alcove brought him back to reality. The root-torch was dying down.
He swallowed hard and placed Rikalia’s Poké Ball in his backpack. He glanced down at the food he had set aside for himself moments ago, and packed it up again.
It’s so quiet now.
He gathered up his things as best he could and lit one of the remaining tree roots Rikalia had gathered for him.
He left the one burning in the small crevice turn to ash as he walked on, only his footsteps keeping him company.
—————
Time moved on by, just like it always did. Steadily and silently. Iruni remembered something Coralis had said. Something about how time had once made a fool of him.
Is that what’s happening now? Is time just slipping away in front of me?
How long had it been since he last saw or spoke to someone? Anyone? A day? Two? He hated trying to tell. He was tired, both physically and mentally. He shambled onward, arm braced against the wall to his right. The smooth stone had turned wet some time ago, the air becoming humid to replace the stale taste it left in his mouth. He guessed this section of the underground was beneath a lake, or maybe a river. Puddles caught his feet every so often, always startling him with the sudden spike in background noise.
Iruni tried, as always, to strain his eyes at the perpetual void in front of him. He had burned the last of the roots long ago. With nothing to light his way, he could see no end to his prison. The darkness pulled him onward, beckoning him forward. The hope of a glimpse of light, a sliver of freedom, carried his legs forward whenever he might stop to accept the inevitable disparity. Despite there being nothing in front of his eyes, Iruni’s vision flooded with color from time to time. Hunger, the clawing constant sensation in the pit of his gut, began to fight against him once again.
Iruni grunted in exhaustion more than pain. He fell to his knees, thankfully landing on a dry section of stone. He stayed there, doubled over and wincing, for a time. When he got his wits about him again, he slinked his backpack off slowly. He blindly rummaged through his belongings, naming each one he could just by touch. He hoped, needed, and even prayed, to find some more food. He had lost track of his mental list of what he still had when he had fallen into these underground pathways. His starving mind just couldn’t think straight.
Over and over again he groped around this backpack, each time getting more desperate to find a ration he must have missed.
He stopped, shaking his head slowly. “No…”
He sat staring into the darkness for what seemed like an eternity. The realization of what he had to face now prevented him from doing anything. He had ran out of food, despite how hard he tried to make it all last. He was still hopelessly lost in these dark tunnels. And he couldn’t hope to think he could send for any help. What could he do? What were his options now?
Just one…
With shaky hands and slow, deliberate movements, zipped up his pack. If only for the novelty of it, he slung it on his back. It took a lot of effort to stand again, but he managed somehow. He braced himself against the wall, relying on the smooth surface to keep him upright. He feared that if he went down, he wouldn’t get up again.
Progress was as slow as could be expected. Iruni’s breathing was rough and hard. He stopped once or twice in fear of blacking out. He could hear water dripping from the low ceiling now. Just drops at a time, but it gave him hope. Those drops were the first sounds he heard that weren’t his own in a long time.
Feeling confident in his stride now, Iruni pushed off from the wall, walking under his own strength. No sooner than he did, something caught his foot. He tumbled forward, trying to find anything to brace his fall. He landed hard on his hands, pain ringing up his arms and wrists. He lay on the stone floor for moment, nursing his arms as they tingled from the pain.
Then he shivered, hard. The air around him was suddenly freezing. Iruni rolled onto his side, and looked around; he could see his breath.
But more important than that, he could see.
Iruni blinked hard many times, afraid his hunger-addled mind was playing tricks on him more than it had been. But sure enough, there was light to take in the sights of where he was, but something had definitely changed apart from the temperature. He was no longer in the dark caverns, or at least it didn’t look like it.
The stone he now sat on was a dark color, a stark change from the light sandstone of the Ruins of Alph. There were drifts of snow in places around the room that he could see. A chilling breeze blew in from the entrance off to his right. He looked up, seeing he was in a large open room. The ceiling was tall, with columns lining the walls. Each column had a gargoyle of imposing and dignified nature. Each one different. He couldn’t recognize any of the shapes, his vision was blurring at that distance.
In front of him was what looked like a raised stage. He stood on shaky legs, using a statue to his left as a brace. The statue was one of six, set in even intervals in front of the stage. The one he was leaning on had the appearance of a great snaking dragon Pokémon, its strange wings looking more like tentacles. The dragon seemed to be roaring silently at the stage ahead. Iruni couldn’t recognize it or any of the other statues either. He could now see that the stage in front of him was triangular. As his eyes continued to adjust to the new level of brightness, he saw the ornate and intricate design on the stone platform. It was massive; concentric circles and triangles making a pattern that Iruni felt must have some significance.
“Hey! You there!”
The voice came without warning, startling him. Iruni turned around, raising his hand to his face when he came to the bright light streaming into the dark room. He squinted hard but he couldn’t see any more than a silhouette standing in the entrance. At his awkward angle and state of exhaustion, Iruni collapsed onto the cold stone floor once again.
Whoever it was that had arrived ran toward him, footsteps echoing in the empty space of the dark temple. Iruni was on his back, trying to catch his breath from his fall. A woman’s face appeared over his, her gray eyes were filled with shock and confusion.
—————
It was bright. Too bright. Still cold.
Where?
Movement. He was moving. No, being carried. She was carrying him. Slow, heavy footsteps. There was a crunching sound; snow.
I never… I was…
“Help me!”
That voice woke him up again. Another bout of darkness took him. There was wind; biting into his face. Tiny frozen needles pricking his skin. She was running, still carrying him. A lot of movement.
Who is it?
A hand cupped his face; a human hand. He was looking up at her face again.
“Can you hear me?”
Yes.
It was quiet now. No more howling wind. He was still. He can’t move. It was warm, but he couldn’t stop shivering.
“You don’t know ‘im?”
Someone else’s voice. An older man?
“He was just in the temple…”
Nothingness took him again.
Something was pulling him. Pulling his clothes. Warm water. Almost burning hot. His head hurt.
“Boy looks like he’s been through hell…”
He woke up again. A blond haired woman was speaking to him. It was difficult to understand her words. The world was spinning. He tried to focus on her.
“… —ook at me. Bart Thomas, you need to…”
She knows my name?
His head fell back, and the light disappeared from the world.
—————
Iruni felt himself being raised up, now leaning back against a hard surface. A soothing voice was talking him through something. He followed the orders as best he could. The reward was sweet and hot.
His eyes opened, peering down at a brown, shimmering reflection of himself. He took a sip of the warm drink, letting it hit the back of his throat and warm his body.
“There you go,” the woman said. “Take it slow.”
“Who…” he said. Iruni tried his best to find his voice. It had been a while since he last spoke to anyone.
The blond woman gave him a soft smile. “Don’t worry about me. You’re still very weak.”
He looked around the room he now found himself in. A cabin of sorts, with heavy wood beams stretching from wall to wall above him. A few lamps were alight around the room, giving it a warm glow of life. On the wall to his left, the window had its curtains drawn, out of which he could see a vast winterscape of ice and snow. A tall mountain towered in the distance.
He was lying in a soft, warm bed. Heavy blankets covered most of his body, his upper body now leaning against the backboard. He was wearing a shirt he didn’t recognize. The blond woman was sitting on the bed beside him, making sure the mug of cocoa was within his reach. Her skin was a creamy white, not pale or very tan. Long blond hair fell behind her and over her shoulder, some obscuring her face. She wore a black sweater that hugged her body tightly, showing off her well maintained figure.
“More?” she asked with a smile. Her gray eyes were what caught Iruni’s attention. She was the one who found him.
“Y—You…” his voice was coarse. It still hurt to talk.
She took one of Iruni’s hands and wrapped it around the warm mug. “Finish this first, you need some calories in you.”
Iruni looked down at the white porcelain cup in his hand. He took a few slow, careful drinks. His savior sat by his side as he drank, ready to assist him if need be. He took a deep breath after he drained the mug, taking a moment to relish the warmth that now spread through him.
“That good, huh?” she asked, ending the question in a chuckle.
Iruni almost forgot she was there. He cleared his throat, needing to speak now. “Thank you,” he said roughly. He swallowed a few more times.
“Not a problem,” she said. “You had me worried. I’m not terrible at first aid, but you were pretty far gone for a while.”
“I… I’m sorry about that, it’s just…” he took another look around the room, and out another window across the room. He could see a path in the deep snow leading off to the north. The sun was setting. “I don’t recognize this place.”
The blond woman gave him an odd look, like she may have been expecting him to say something like that. “You mean you don’t know where you are?”
Iruni shook his head. “No, not at all.” He looked out the window again. The sun was setting. “How long have I… When did you find me?”
She crossed her arms, looking down at the floor in thought for a moment. She blinked herself out of her trance. “Well, let’s see… three days, this morning.”
“Th-Three…” Iruni said. He looked down at his hands, they were shaking.
“You need to eat, Bart.”
“Hey…” he looked up at her. “What’s your name?”
She smiled, standing up from the bed. “Cynthia. Now come on,” she said, helping Iruni out of bed. “Let’s get you cleaned up and some solid food in you. If you can stomach it.”
Cynthia helped Iruni walk shakily into the washroom. She re-bandaged his head wound, she explained, for the second time now. For the first time since his fall, Iruni could see what had happened. On the upper left side of his head, a bruised and jagged cut sat just under his hairline. It wasn’t even noticeable if his hair sat the right way, but it must have been in just the right spot to bleed the way it did. She said the wound has closed and on its way to healing. She discretely took the clothes he was wearing as he stepped into the bath. She stayed outside while he cleaned himself in case he needed help. Iruni spent a long time in the warm water, relaxing for the first time since his ordeal began.
They talked through the door to one another, retelling each of their sides of the story. Cynthia was explaining the past three days to him. “My uncle and I did our best to take care of you. You were awake here and there. You didn’t say much. But you responded more to food and water than words.”
“I remember a little bit of it,” said Iruni. “It’s all a blur, really…”
He stood up from the bath carefully, taking slow, deliberate steps out of the water and onto the floor. He looked at himself in the mirror. He was clean, but he looked hollow. He was exhausted still, despite being bedridden for days. His limbs shook. His vision shimmered from time to time. He braced himself against the bathroom’s sink. He almost lost consciousness again.
“Hey,” Cynthia called. “You alright?”
“Yeah…” he said. “I think I will be.”
—————
“I don’t know how, but I was just there when I looked up after I tripped,” said Iruni. The smells of the food were heavenly. “Then I blacked out right after you showed up.”
The sun had set now. Cynthia helped Iruni into the dining room and kitchen of the cabin and sat him at the table, giving him some crackers to eat. Much else right away might upset his stomach. He had just finished retelling his end of the story of how he came to this strange, chilled place.
“I see,” she had her back to him, tending to a pot of sauce simmering over the stove. “You were in trouble even without almost freezing to death.” She stopped talking for a few moments, unsure of what to say next. “I wasn’t aware of such a vast array of tunnels underneath the Arcean ruins,” she said, shifting the discussion to a more lighthearted topic. “It would be a fascinating discovery if not so harrowing in your case.”
“I thought they were called the ‘Ruins of Alph’?” said Iruni.
“Both names are correct,” said Cynthia. “Those ruins are of the first major civilization of Arcean people outside of what is now the Sinnoh region.”
“Oh, I get it. ‘Alph’ is the Alpha.”
“There you go,” Cynthia said, smiling at him. She was placing plates around the table. “The temple you found yourself in is a part of the ‘Sinjoh Ruins’. Over time, the two sects of Arceans differed in their styles and beliefs, but when people from both groups met here long ago, they combined their ideas and style. The temple just north of here is a great example of it, but the more relevant evidence is still practiced today. Their shared beliefs are what’s closest to modern day Arceanism nowadays.”
“So, where are we now?” asked Iruni. The question had been eating at him since he started being able to think clearly.
“Too far from Johto for you to have walked here, that’s for sure,” said Cynthia. “Now, make sure to eat slowly. Your body will just spit it right up if you eat too much.”
The realization hit Iruni just as Cynthia began setting the food on the table. My Pokémon! His hands dropped to his sides reflexly, not remembering he wasn’t even in his own clothes. He began to panic. Where were they? Did they come with him when he inexplicably appeared in the cold, dark temple?
“My Pokémon! Cynthia, where are they!? They’re in stasis still! They might be—”
She closed the gap faster than Iruni was expecting. She put her hands on Iruni’s shoulders, staring at him with a surprising intensity. “Calm down, it’s alright. They’re still in their Poké Balls, still in stasis. They’re safe for now.”
“But they’re hungry too! I need to let them out.”
Cynthia gave him a sad, knowing smile and let go of his shoulders. “That isn’t possible, I’m afraid.” She reached into the pocket of her winter pants and pulled out a plain Poké Ball. In its small state, she tapped the activator button multiple times to no effect. “See?”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“No one is really sure,” said Cynthia. “Something about this area causes Poké Balls to malfunction and not respond. Any Pokémon inside of one is perfectly safe and fine, but they cannot be opened.” She sighed, staring sadly at the ball in her hand. “I wish I had known that sooner.”
“They’re okay? Really?”
“Don’t you worry your little head off, sonny,” a strained voice called from the other room. An elderly man walked with a cane into the kitchen and took a seat beside Iruni. Cynthia’s great uncle Artemius, Iruni remembered. Cynthia explained how he helped bring him in from the cold. He groaned as he sat down. “Your friends will be peachy keen once you’re out of my neck of the woods.”
Iruni noticed an Abra slowly making its way into the room as well, then sitting down and nodding off to sleep against the wall.
“So,” the old man said, squinting at Iruni. “We ain’t had the chance to be introduced, have we?” The old man reached across the table and shook Iruni’s hand. “Shit, son; you feel light as a feather. You eat anything in the last week?”
“Probably not,” Iruni admitted. He almost didn’t want to ask about the date.
“Well, my Cynthy’s cookin’ isn’t too hot, but it sure is fillin’. Food is food, right?”
Iruni laughed for the first time in a long time. The infectious humor spread and the room began to feel buzzing and alive. Cynthia sent a remark back at her uncle and began serving the food. It was the best meal Iruni could remember eating, despite what old man Artemius said. He had to hold himself back and eat slowly, but the food stayed down. He filled up quickly on bread and pasta. Iruni let out a contented sigh as he finished all he could.
“On top of everything else, what I don’t get,” Cynthia said to him, clearing the dishes from the table, “is why you appeared when you did. A lot of this seems to be missing one key element.”
Iruni chewed as he listened to her. He swallowed his bite, “Like what?”
“Well, think about it,” said Cynthia, leaning against the kitchen counter. “You somehow managed to find yourself lost in those tunnels. You said some force caused walls to move around you. Then you’re here, as if because you were dropped off right when you needed to be, and right when I came to check out the temple no less.
“That temple has ties to myths and legends. So do the Arcean Ruins in Johto. There’s a link between the two, I’m thinking.”
“So, what? You think something brought me here on purpose?” Iruni asked.
“That’s a distinct possibility. Whatever brought you here—”
The Abra that had been asleep against the wall suddenly teleported onto the table. It stood up and opened its eyes wide. It murmured something lost on human ears, and raised its clawed arms to the air. Between them, crackling energy formed in the air. Abra’s eyes glowed with power, then the energy flashed and popped. The Abra lifted into the air on by unseen influence and drifted back to its spot against the wall, snoozing once more.
In the air hovered something else. Something new. Something green.
‘I brought him here.’
Its voice resounded through their minds like the most beautiful chimes in a calm breeze. The voice of the forest. Tiny blue wings fluttered, keeping it aloft. Long arms drifted to its sides, waving in a nonexistent breeze. Dark rings bordered its eyes; eyes of the brightest blue. The creature that hovered in the air smiled down at the people staring in shock and awe.
The humans present all reacted in alarm. Iruni and Artemius stepped back from the table, knocking chairs down to the floor. The old man was muttering something under his breath, Iruni guessed it was his Abra’s name. Iruni wasn’t completely comfortable with the gaze those blue eyes were casting on him. He braced himself on one of the chairs. Something about the creature’s presence weighed down heavily on him.
“Celebi,” Cynthia said, firmly and reverent. She didn’t seem afraid of the new arrival.
The green pixie twirled around to meet her, arms open wide. ‘And a warm “hello” to you too. Thank you again for being so predictable.’
“You brought him here, did you?” Cynthia asked, pointing at Iruni. She didn’t rise to the hovering Pokémon’s challenge. “Why? Who is he?”
‘Irrelevant to you,’ Celebi said. She—at least the voice sounded feminine—floated silently around the room, stopping in front of Iruni. ‘But he’s very important to me.’ Celebi gave Iruni the kindest of smiles, ‘It’s nice to meet you, face to face.’
“You kidnapped him!” Cynthia said with surprising anger. “What kind of purpose could he serve you?”
The Legendary Pokémon turned back to Cynthia with an annoyed expression. ‘No hard feelings, persistent meddler. I’m looking for company, not a crowd.’ Celebi waved a hand in Cynthia’s direction and she lost consciousness, falling to the floor slowly under a telekinetic grip. Her uncle met the same fate. ‘Good girl.’
Iruni backed up to the wall, putting distance between him and the levitating Pokémon. Those blue eyes found his again, looking almost hurt.
‘Oh they’re fine,’ Celebi said, flying closer to Iruni. ‘They’re just asleep. I also had to rewrite some memories too, of course. We’ll just be a half-remembered dream to them.’
“What? What’s going on?” asked Iruni. “You made me show up in that… these ruins?”
‘And the ones back in…’ Celebi stopped and thought for a moment, bringing a hand to her chin. ‘Ah! Johto, that’s what it’s called right now.’
“You— You did—” Iruni bristled at the Time Travel Pokémon. He had to hold back the urge to lunge at the floating sprite. “You made me fall down into those tunnels? You put me— us through all that?”
‘Yes.’
“I could have died!”
‘But you didn’t.’
“I was starving to death and—!”
‘And now you’ve been fed,’ Celebi said. She floated up closely to his face. ‘Don’t talk down at me. I know my actions. I know why I made them. I know what they caused. I made sure you survived both times that your life has been in danger.’
“What are you talking about?” Iruni almost yelled.
‘If you had gone on your merry little way,’ Celebi orbited him as she spoke, ‘you would have died. All on your own. Your Pokémon too, I think. I couldn’t let that happen, so I helped you. I knew that you would end up starving in the tunnels, so I brought you to a place I knew you’d be taken care of.’ Her voice was calm and kind.
Iruni kept her gaze as she drifted around the room. “How… How would I have died?”
‘It’s best you not know… That kind of knowledge can mess with your head.’
Iruni gave up trying to follow Celebi as she twisted around in the air. “So, what? Did you put me through all that hardship to test me for something?”
Celebi came around in front of him again, looking agitated. ‘Oh, I’m so bad at this… Listen, and at least try to pay attention. I. Saved. Your. Life. That’s it. If you don’t like it, that’s fine. But what’s done is… is…’ she stopped herself from finishing that sentence. ‘Either way, you—yourself—you are in a very important place in time.’ Celebi looked into Iruni’s eyes, pleading with him. ‘And I need your help.’
Iruni wasn’t expecting such an answer. The emotion of Celebi’s words, and her expression looked sincere. Something was bothering this Legendary Pokémon, that much he could tell. This creature in front of him was capable of many things. He couldn’t really think of anything he was capable of doing to aid her.
“What do you need help with?” he finally asked.
‘I’m a time traveler. People sing songs and weave myths about me. “Celebi, timeless spirit of the forest and wood.” I used to not care about my decisions or the things I would do with my power. I… I’m not proud to say this…’ she said, closing her eyes. ‘But something happened that I didn’t expect, and I made a mistake that ended up hurting someone… someone I really cared about.’
“What happened?”
‘If I told you… you might not want to help me.’ Celebi rose into the air, spreading her arms wide. A ringing sound began filling the room. ‘So I won’t tell you. Just know this: I need you. Even if you decide later on that you don’t want to help me, you are still important to me, if only because I can use you. Maybe I can get to know you, even be friends if you want, but even if you don’t care about me at all, I’ll still help where and when I can.’
Celebi gave him another of her kind smiles. ‘You have a guardian angel, even if you hate her.’
—————
Iruni opened his eyes and a short gasp escaped his lips, echoing down the dark tunnels. He could feel himself lying on his chest, his face against the cold, flat stone. He sat himself up and rubbed his head, thinking hard to remember what had happened.
He had tripped. He remembered that. He felt down around his feet, finding that a tree’s root had broken through the stone and grew across the path. He fell, then he—
Those other ruins! Cynthia! And… Celebi.
He remembered that too now. He righted himself and sat in the dark for a few minutes. The memories in his head played back with enough clarity to rule out the possibility that it was a dream. He checked himself. He still felt full from the meal he had, he wore the clothes Cynthia had lent him. Beside him, he found his bag. Iruni found his Poké Balls, each still attached to his belt. It happened.
Okay… everyone’s still here.
Iruni ran his fingers over Rikalia’s Umbra Ball, feeling the two scratch marks she had given it all those months ago.
Sorry. Again.
As he curiously wondered if his old set of clothes had been given back to him too, he found something that surprised him. Food, bottles of fresh water, and other such provisions were once again in his possession. He experimentally checked everything he found there. All of it fresh and new.
“Thank you.” Iruni said to the darkness around him. Nothing answered him back, but he had a feeling he was still being watched.
“As for helping you, I’ll have to think on it.”
He stood, stronger than he had been in days. Iruni set off down the darkness again, confident for the first time in that he would be greeted by sunlight again soon.
—————
[Cartographer Log: 5/17/00]
[Cartographer ID: A. J. Wingborne (79053)]
[Hey professor. Just doing my check in.
I know you said you would let me know… but have you had any updates from Barty? It’s been almost a month since I last saw him. And you mentioned you hadn’t gotten any reports from him either…
Sorry. I’m just worried, you know?
Anyway, back to business. I’m sitting outside of Union Cave right now. I say ‘outside’, because that place was just awful to get through. I don’t know if it’s been known for Steelix, but it has them now. Mawile too. One nearly bit my leg off with its head-mouth-jaw-thing. Is that place supposed to be so hard to get through?
And just coming out of there, I saw—
Wait, is that—?
Allan! Hey! Wait up!]
—————
To Be Continued…
—————
- 17
- 18
- 19
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The Dark Type