Beyond the Adventure - A Pokémon Fanfiction

We arrive at my home around lunch time. It is a small home on the 3rd floor of an apartment building at the east edge of the city. I like it because it is comfortable and my bedroom window had a nice view of the nearby forest. Every morning, a Murkrow lands on the wall between the city and the forest, squawks mercilessly into my open bedroom window, and flies away. Obnoxious, but at the same time, reassuring in the reality of this world; that it is teaming with wondrous life everywhere, a whole world to explore full of adventure, and that makes me smile every time I wake up. I have always dreamed of exploring that world, and now, my dream is about to become a reality.

I am greeted at the front door by Cyndaquil. She comes running up to me in her cheerful way and paws at my leg. Jaws waddles in from the hallway. Cyndaquil squeaks and the flames on her back grow. I step back quickly to avoid getting burned. “Whoa, girl,” I say. “It’s okay. He’s fine!”

Cyndaquil looks up at me, then back at Jaws. The flames disappear as she sinks to the floor and crawls slowly toward Jaws. Jaws watches her curiously as she moves closer. Cyndaquil reaches Jaws and begins to sniff his feet. Jaws extends a hand out and pats Cyndaquil on the head. Cyndaquil sniffs the hand, then gets excited and stands up, flames erupting out of her back as she chirps happily.

Jaws’ eyes suddenly goes wide. He leaps back and runs behind me, grabbing my legs. Cyndaquil, being the naïve pet she has always been, thinks he is playing with her and chases after her. They run around my legs a few laps before Jaws finally leaps into my arms. “Whoa!” I cry at the sudden weight. Jaws clings to me, shivering with fright, while a confused Cyndaquil stands at my feet, staring up at us.

“Are you afraid of Cyndaquil?” I ask, trying to comfort the guy. Jaws looks down at Cyndaquil. The flames on her back died down and Jaws seemed to relax. “Ah, you must be afraid of fire,” I suddenly realize. “It’s okay. She won’t hurt you. She just does that when she gets excited.”

Jaws looks at me, then leaps from my arms. “Cyndaquil, try to tone it down,” I say to her. She looks at me with understanding.

“Now,” I say, mostly to myself. “How about some food?”

I walk into the kitchen and open the fridge. I grab a container filled with leftover noodles from last night, then remembered that Mother went shopping this morning. I open the bottom drawer and discover a fresh batch of Oran berries. “Yes!” I shout. I grab a handful and close the fridge. I grab a fork, then walk over to the table and sit. As I open the container, I notice Cyndaquil and Jaws playing together. I smile as I watch the two. Cyndaquil stands on her hind legs as tall as she could, then Jaws tips her over with a gentle push. Cyndaquil falls onto her back and giggles. It is a bizarre, but pleasant scene.

“Hey, you two,” I call out. “Hungry?” I hold out some Oran berries.

The two run over and snatch up the berries. They then squat on the floor, munching happily. I get up and turn on the radio. “My mother should be on soon!” I say excitedly. I tune into the radio station and the program starts.

“Welcome to Pokémon Talk with Professor Oak!” my mother chimes. “I’m Mary and today, Professor Oak will be discussing where you can find the Pokémon Chansey!”

I listen as I eat. My mind wanders into recent events; my mother’s new job and what it means for us, this new Pokémon that fell into my lap, and the journey that lies ahead of me. I have always dreamed of seeing the world, and now the opportunity has finally presented itself. I glance over at Jaws and Cyndaquil. The two have finished their meals and are slumped together, napping. I smile at how peaceful they look.

I finish my meal and turn off the radio. It is time to pack! I grab my backpack and stuff a couple changes of clothes inside. I then raid my Snorlax bank for what little money it had in it. I look up at the top of my bookshelf and see HootHoot sleeping away. I recall how long it took to train that bird to keep quiet at night. Finally, I search the kitchen for anything I can take with me. I settle for some Tauros jerky and rice balls. I grab a few more Oran berries for Jaws, then head back to the living room. Jaws is stirring from his nap. I pet his head and he opens his eyes.

“Good nap?” I ask. He yawns and stretches. “Ready to go find your home?”

Jaws stands up and waddles groggily toward the door. I chuckle. Cyndaquil wakes up and spies me near the door. She walks up to me and paws at my leg. I kneel down and pet her. “Sorry, girl,” I say sadly. “You have to stay here. Keep my mother safe, and protect her while I’m gone, okay?” Cyndaquil cries softly and sits on the floor. I take one look around. Emotions swirl around inside me, a raging storm of both excitement and sadness. I may not see HootHoot, Cyndaquil, or my mother for a long time. I promise to myself to make contact as often as I can. I open the front door and Jaws walks out. I take one last look around. Cyndaquil looks sadly as I walk out and close the door behind me.

The midday sun shines bright and feels good against my face. A gentle breeze blows through my messy silver hair. It is one of my favorite things living Goldenrod City; warm sun combined with a cool ocean breeze. All my life, I wanted to escape the busy noise of city life, and now that I am about to, I suddenly do not want to leave. The conflicting emotions of the excitement of adventure and solemnity of leaving home swirl inside, giving me Butterfrees in my stomach. There is so much unknown in this journey. I have no idea what will happen, where I am going, or what I will even do when I get there. I am unsure of how I will even keep in touch with Mother. I suppose I will have to use the Pidgey Post in each town.

We arrive at the Goldenrod Department Store. The automatic double-door entrance opens wide for us and we walk through. The store is bustling with shoppers and their Pokémon, moving from shop to shop, spending their money. We walk over to the elevator, push the button, and go inside. The department store has five floors, an atrium on the roof, and a basement. I work in the basement, moving boxes around with the seven Machoke down there. The Machoke are great workers, strong and loyal. I will miss them, especially the one I nicknamed Brawny. He was the strongest of them, responsible for doing the heaviest lifting. He once picked up another Machoke and held her for a full hour, while she held the repairman fixing our lights because his ladder broke. He always opted to work with me over everyone else down there. Yeah, I will miss him very much.

The elevator chimes and the doors open. Jaws and I step into the basement. It must be a truck day, for the Machoke and the employees were busy moving and stacking boxes, while other employees unpack them. I find the dock manager, Craig. He smiles at me.

“Hey, Crono!” he greets warmly. “Isn’t today your day off?”

I nod. “Yes, it is, but that’s not why I’m here.”

Jaws looks around at the Machoke in awe. He looks genuinely impressed at the strength of the creatures carrying all these heavy loads. He hops excitedly. I spy Brawny coming out of the truck with an armload of boxes. He sees me, runs to put the boxes down, and then runs up to greet me.

“Ma-ma-CHOKE!” he bellows with joy. I laugh and offer a high five. He slaps my hand like I taught him, causing my very bones to vibrate painfully. I wince with a grin and shake my hand.

“Good to see you, Brawny!” I say.

Jaws looks up in awe at the muscular Pokémon. He walks up to Brawny’s leg and gently touches his muscular calf. Brawny looks down.

“MA-choke!” he says. Jaws grins and waves. Brawny reaches down and picks up Jaws, looking him in the eye. Then he looks at me. “Ma-choke-choke?”

“Huh?” I look at him for a moment, then nod. “Oh, yeah, go ahead, if it’s okay with Craig. Sir, he’d like to take a break to play with Jaws.”

Brawny looks at Craig eagerly. Craig smiles and nods. “Go ahead.”

Brawny tosses Jaws into the air excitedly and catches him. The thrilled, yet nervous look on Jaws’ face is priceless. The two trot off to play.

“I don’t know how you do it,” Craig says. “I’ve been working with these Machoke for six years and I still don’t understand them. Then you come in for barely a year and can have full blown conversations with them!”

I just shrug. “I don’t know either, sir,” I say. “I just… understand them.”

Craig chuckles. “Quite the talent, I’d say. Also, quite the unusual Pokémon you have there. Never seen anything like it.”

Craig’s mention of Jaws reminds me of why I am here. “That’s actually why I’m here, sir. I have come to turn in my resignation.”

Craig’s eyes go wide. “Wait, what??” he says, stunned. “Why? You’re our best employee. Nobody has ever worked as well with the Machoke as you have.”

“Well, sir,” I explain. “Jaws is lost, far from home. I am trying to help him find his way back.”

“Hmm, I see,” Craig says. “Quite noble of you. Well, you will be missed, especially by Brawny over there.” Brawny stops and looks at me. He sets Jaws down and stomps over to me.

“Machoke?” he says solemnly.

“Yeah, big guy, I’m leaving,” I say sadly.

“Ma-ma-choke?” He looks down.

“It’s okay, I’ll be back someday,” I assure. “Cheer up, I won’t be gone forever.”

“Choke…” He grabs me and squeezes me hard. I feel my back crack in places I did not know could crack.

“Aw, it’s okay, big guy. I’ll miss you too.”

Craig strokes his chin, then nods. “You know what, wait here.” He runs to his office, leaving me and Brawny to hug it out. A minute later, he returns with an envelope and hands it to me. “Here, take this. Consider it your severance check.”

I open the envelope. Inside was ten thousand Pokédollars. I beam.

“Sir, I can’t accept this,” I say. “I appreciate the gesture, but this is more than my monthly paycheck.”

Craig shook his head. “Don’t concern yourself about that,” he assures. “You deserve it. This place won’t be the same without you.”

I smile and thank him. “Well, I’m off. Take care of Brawny for me.”

Craig smiles. “You got it.”

Jaws and I step into the elevator. Brawny gives me a sad wave as the doors close. I wave back.

We head up to various floors and look around. I figure I can use some of this money for supplies. I buy some travel rations for myself and some berries for Jaws. I also stock up on medicine and first aid supplies, just in case. After I pay for our supplies, we head out of the store and make our way to the Radio Tower. One last thing to do before we leave.

We head inside and head up to the third floor. Professor Oak and Mother are talking with another man. From the seriousness of their looks, I assume he might be the producer of the show. As I get closer, I hear what they are saying.

“…and boost our ratings,” the producer says. “We need more energy from you, Mary. More excitement. Your voice is beautiful, but you sounded rather dull.”

Mother looks a little somber, but nods in agreement. “I apologize,” she says. “I’ll do better next show.”

Professor Oak steps in. “This is her first time being in show business,” he says. “She’s just nervous, but she’s actually quite knowledgeable on Pokémon. I’m rather impressed!”

The producer looks at Mother and nods. “Yes, I can see that she is,” he starts. “However, this is radio, and it is primarily entertainment. More energy, please. Make learning fun!”

Mother perks up. “Yes, sir,” she says. “I’ll do much better next time!”

The producer nods. “Excellent!” He turns and walks away.

I walk up to them. “Hey, Mom!”

“Crono!” Mother beams. “Did you hear the show?”

I nod. “Sure did, you were great!”

Professor Oak nods. “She sure was,” he says. “I don’t know what the producer’s problem is. She was energetic enough.” He shakes his head. “The show is new. Ratings won’t skyrocket immediately.”

I nod and hand her the envelope. “Anyway, here, Mom. My last paycheck.”

She looks at me and takes the envelope. She opens to see seven thousand Pokédollars inside. “Oh, no, Crono,” she says, handing it back to me. “Trust me, the pay here is plenty. Professor Oak even gave me an advance on my first paycheck. So you keep it and use it for your journey.”

Professor Oak shrugs. “Not an advance. A ‘Welcome Aboard’ gift. I couldn’t have found a better co-host.”

Mary looks at him. “Thank you, Sam.”

Professor Oak smiles. “Oh, and one more gift.” He pulls out two boxes and hands us each one. We open them. Inside are two wrist devices. “That is called Pokégear. It has various functions, but the important one is the cell phone feature. Now you can contact your Mother any time you want.”

Mother gasps. “Sam, it’s too much!”

“Nonsense!” Professor Oak scoffs. “I take care of my partners.”

I strap my gear on and hold it up high. “This is awesome! Thank you, sir!”

“It also has a radio feature, so you can tune in every morning,” he says cheerfully. “Help boost our ratings!” He laughs.

I laugh too. “Thank you again, sir. Very much!”

I turn to Mother. “It’s time, Mom,” I say.

She opens her arms and I embrace her. “Take care out there,” she says.

I nod. “I will.”

Professor Oak holds his hand out. “To get to Hoenn, head north to Ecruteak City, then west to Olivine City. From there, you can take a ship to Slateport City in Hoenn.”

“Yes, sir, thank you.” I grasp his hand and we shake. I turn and head back to the stairs. I look over my shoulder and wave goodbye. They wave back.

Jaws and I leave the Radio Tower and head towards the North Gate. Along time way, I think about the path ahead of us. It will be long, but it will be exciting. A journey filled with mystery and adventure. As we approach the gate, I take one last look at Goldenrod City. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Goodbye, Goldenrod,” I whisper. “Goodbye, Mother. I’ll be home soon.” I open my eyes, suddenly filled with determination. I look down at Jaws. He beams up at me. “Let’s go, buddy!” We turn and walk out the gate, taking our first steps into the world.

The dirt road ahead is smooth, trampled by the many travelers who walk it. Tall trees surround us, with the sound of Spearow in the air. A serene lake lies to the west of the road. Every now and then, a Poliwag will poke its head above the surface, then dive back into the water. The tall grass in the woods rustle, no doubt by wild Pokémon playing or foraging for food. Just ahead, two trainers square off, and their Pokémon, a Yanma and a Psyduck, battle it out. Jaws looks on eagerly, eyes filled with joy. I have never met a Pokémon who loved battle as much as this little guy seems to do. I pat his head. “Come on, buddy.”

As we come around a bend in the road, we are confronted with a large building. A sign reads “National Park and Pokéathlon Dome”, with a smaller sign “Bug Catching Contest every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 2pm!” I check my Pokégear. “Saturday, 1:37pm,” it reads. I look down at Jaws. “Want to check out the bug-catching contest?” He smiles and nods.

We walk in the gate and we are greeted by a lovely young lady with a beautiful head of red hair. I am taken aback for a moment as she smiles warmly at me. “Welcome!” she says. “Will you be participating in today’s bug-catching contest today?”

“Ah… um… well…” I stammer. “I hadn’t planned on it…” I feel my face burning red.

The woman keeps smiling. “Not a problem,” she says cheerfully. “Should you change your mind, simply speak to me and I’ll sign you up!”

I laugh nervously. “Haha, okay, thanks!”

“That’s an odd Pokémon,” she says, peering over the counter at Jaws.

“Yeah, he’s definitely unique!” I say proudly.

“He’s kinda cute,” she says, glancing at me. My face burns as I wave goodbye.

Jaws and I walk toward the park entrance, looking around. Several trainers are hanging around, eagerly waiting for the contest to start. To our left, a gate leading to the Pokéathlon Dome invites all trainers brave enough to compete. People and Pokémon come and go through the gate, some with determined faces, and others with solemn looks of defeat. Behind me, I hear a loud, obnoxious, and strangely familiar voice boasting about the strength of his Pokémon. I turn around and, sure enough, it is the trainer from Whitney’s gym.

“…and so I put her Persian to sleep, then I drain it of all its energy,” he says. “Yeah, it didn’t stand a chance.” He tosses a Pokéball to himself, looking quite pleased with himself. The girls around him “ooh” and “aah”.

“Jaws,” I say. Jaws looks up at me. “Let’s go before…”

“Well, look who it is!” the pest shouts. “The scaredy Meowth who refused to fight me.”

I groan. I really do not want to deal with this guy right now.

“Ready to fight me now?” he belts out. “Or are you still going to wuss out?”

I look down at Jaws. He looks eager, fists balled up. I shake my head. “Not here, buddy,” I whisper.

“Wussing out, I see,” he says. “Might as well. Nobody can beat the great Bruce anyway.”

I smirk. “Tell that to Whitney,” I crack.

Bruce frowns. “That was a cheap shot,” he growls, as the girls behind him snicker as they walk off. “Doesn’t matter anyway. If I can’t beat her, nobody can.”

I shake my head, then reach into my shorts pocket. I open my hand and flash the Plain Badge. “Jaws here begs to differ,” I retort.

Bruce’s eyes narrow. “Yeah, whatever,” he scoffs. “When I win this bug-catching contest, I’ll be heading back down there to wipe the floor with her stupid cow.”

“You’re entering, huh?” I ask. “Hmm…”

I look down at Jaws and he nods. I nod back. “Let’s put him in his place, shall we?”

We head back over to the pretty woman. “We’d like to enter please,” I say.

The woman smiles. “All right,” she says. “There is no entry fee. Here are your Sport Balls. Good luck!”

She hands be twenty Sport Balls and a small folded piece of paper. I open the paper as I walk toward the park entrance. It reads “Liz – 555-1069”.

“Huh?” I look back at her, and while she is entering another trainer into the contest, she glances at me and silently mouths “Call me.” I feel like I could spontaneously combust.

The announcer’s voice comes over the intercom. “All participants, please meet in the park. The contest will begin in five minutes! I say again, the contest will begin in five minutes!”

“Well, Jaws, are you ready?” I ask. Jaws does his excited hop.

We walk through the park entrance and are greeted with a beautiful visage of nature. The park is wide and open, with vivid green grass waving in the gentle breeze. A gorgeous fountain stands in the middle of the park, flowing with crystal clear water. Tall trees surround the park, creating a natural enclosure for the park. The view would be tranquil were the air not filled with the sound of Bruce boasting how full of win he is.

We line up with the other contestants, ready to listen to the rules. “You have twenty minutes to catch the best Bug Pokémon you can find!” he announces. “You may catch as many as you like, but only one may be entered. All others will be released. At the end, our judges will determine the winner. Get ready… GO!”

Everyone scatters into the four winds. I look down at Jaws and shrug. “Let’s go find a bug,” I say. We wander through the grass. We see a Caterpie crawling through the grass. We look at each other and shake our heads. “Let’s head to the treeline and see what we can find there.”

We wander through the trees. I hear a soft buzzing sound. I look up and see several Beedrill flitting through the branches. I grab a ball, watch closely, and throw it at into the crowd. The ball hits one, opens up, and in a flash of light, the Beedrill gets pulled in. The ball falls to the ground in front of us. “Hey, look at that!” I shout excitedly. “I got it!”

The ball wobbles briefly, then pops open. The angry Beedrill flies out and hovers in front of me. “Uh oh…”

The Beedrill pulls its stinger arms back and charges toward me. “Ack!” I cry as I drop to the ground. The Beedrill turns around and flies at me again. Jaws jumps between us and smacks the Beedrill with his massive jaw. The Beedrill gets launched into the woods.

I pick myself up off the ground. “All righty then,” I say. “That went poorly.”

Jaws looks at me apologetically. I chuckle. “It’s okay, buddy,” I assure. “I didn’t want that one anyway.”

We continue walking through the trees. I notice a Scyther leaping from branch to branch. “Wow, that’s fast!” I exclaim. “Think you can get it down here?”

Jaws just stares at me.

“Right…” I say. “Moving on.”

We come across a small creek lined with brush. I hear a rustle coming from one of the bushes, so I sneak up to it and peek through. On the other side, I see an orange bug with two little mushrooms stuck to its back. “Ah, a Paras!” I whisper to Jaws. “Let’s get it.”

I quietly pull a ball out of my bag. The Paras drinks peacefully, completely unaware of the impending doom I was about to bring it. I take aim and throw the ball as hard as I could. The ball plunks into the creek. The Paras leaps back and spots me. “Our cover’s blown!” I shout. “Get it!”

Jaws jumps into the creek and gives chase. Paras starts scurrying toward a large hollow tree. I throw another ball, but miss. Jaws is struggling to get out of the water. I yank him out and continue running after Paras. I throw a third ball and it gets stuck in the hole Paras is scurrying towards. “Man, I really suck at throwing,” I sigh. “I’ll get you for sure!” I pull out an armful of balls and throw them all at the Paras. Balls rain around Paras as it backs against the tree, cowering. Finally, a ball hits the Paras and it gets pulled inside. The ball hits the ground, wobbles a bit, then I hear an audible click. The ball stops wobbling.

“Hey, we did it!” I cheer. Jaws catches up to me, sopping wet. He glares at me. “Uh, heh, sorry bud,” I apologize. “I got a bit carried away, didn’t I?”

Jaws smirks mischievously and shakes himself off. Water flies everywhere. “Ack, hey!” I shout, covering myself with my arms. Jaws laughs silently.

I wipe my face and look at my Pokégear. Three minutes left. “Crap, dude, we gotta get back! Hop on!” I turn my back and stoop down. Jaws jumps up and clings to my shoulders. I run through the woods, trying to remember which way to get back to the fountain. We clear the treeline and I see the fountain in the distance. I sprint as fast as I can and make it back just as the announcer calls the end of the contest. Panting, I line up with the rest of the contestants. Bruce eyes me down the line.

“What took you so long?” he snorts. “I had caught the best one within the first five minutes. There’s no way I can lose with this Scyther!”

Wow, he got that Scyther? I think. He’s better than I thought.

The judges step forward, examining each contestants Pokémon as they move down the line. Finally, they finish and the announcer is ready to declare the winners.

“And now the moment you’ve been waiting for!” the announcer shouts. “For third place, we have Timmy and his Butterfree!”

Everyone applauds.

“Second place, Crono and his Paras!”

I look down at Jaws and smile. “Second place, buddy! Good job!”

Bruce snorts, arms crossed confidently. “Too bad, better luck next time.”

“And for first place, the winner of today’s contest…” The announcer pauses dramatically. “…Sarah and her Pinsir!”

“Whaaaaaat?!” Bruce’s jaw slams into the ground.

“Here are your prizes, contestants!” Liz walks up with her arms lined with baskets. To Sarah, she hands her a very shiny yellow-green stone.

“Yes!” she shouts. “I can finally evolve my Pikachu!”

Liz walks up to me, hands me a basket full of Sitrus Berries. “Congratulations, Crono,” she says with a wink. My heart thumps against my chest.

Liz hands Timmy a smooth round stone, then moves down the line, leaving little Timmy holding the stone with a confused look on his face. “Uh… thanks?”

The rest of the contestants received a single Oran Berry as a consolation prize. Bruce scoffs and shoves the berry into his pocket. “This stupid contest doesn’t matter anyway,” he says. “All I wanted was this Scyther, and I got it.” With that, he stomps toward the south exit.

“Well, buddy,” I say. “Are you ready to go?” Jaws nods.

We head toward the east exit. As we approach it, I suddenly remember the Paras I had caught. I pull the ball out and look at it, deep in thought. I then toss the ball onto the ground. It opens and Paras pops out. It looks up at me angrily.

“Hey, little guy,” I say soothingly. “I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you. Here…” I reach into the basket and retrieve a Sitrus Berry. I place it in front of Paras. It looks at the berry, then at me. “Go on, take it and go home.”

Paras hesitates, then stabs the berry with its claws and walks off into the grass. I smile to myself. Jaws looks at me confused.

“I’m no trainer,” I explain. “Paras will be better off going back to its home than traveling with us.”

Jaws looks at me. I have no idea if it understands me or not, but I decide he does and stand back up. “Let’s go, buddy,” I say. “We have a long trek ahead of us.”

After an hour of walking, Jaws and I come to a junction. A sign informs me that Ecruteak City is to the north, while Violet City and the Ruins of Alph are to the east. I look at Jaws. “Hey, buddy,” I say. “Mind if we take a detour? I’ve always wanted to visit the Ruins of Alph. It’s an ancient ruin with strange markings, a wonderful archaeological find. I think you would like it!” Jaws smiles and nods.

We pass the sign and keep heading east. The road has been strangely deserted, especially since we had just left the quite populated National Park. The silence is eerie. An occasional rustle of leaves from the surrounding trees as the wind blows is all that we hear as we walk toward Violet City. As we walk, I reach into my bag and pull out some jerky and a Sitrus Berry. “Hey Jaws,” I say. “Catch!” I toss the berry to him. He catches the berry and grins. I watch as he nibbles on it. Interestingly, he does not use his massive jaw to eat it. I had not noticed that back at the house, I just assumed he used the big mouth to eat, like he did in his battle with Whitney. Perhaps it is not a mouth in the traditional sense and simply used as a defense mechanism. I ponder this while we walk and before I realize it, we arrive at the Violet City gate.

“Huh,” I mutter to myself. “Where are the ruins?” I look around and see a sign pointing west that reads “Ruins of Alph”. I look west and see a path a short distance off leading south into the trees. I must have missed it while I was deep in thought. I tap Jaws on the head, who is playing with a Weedle crawling along the road. He looks up and starts following me.

The path to the ruins look less traveled. Rough, rocky, with grass and weeds overtaking the dirt path. A pair of Rattata peek their heads above the weeds as we approach and scurry into the surrounding brush. The further along the path, the thicker the brush gets. I wonder what kind of Pokémon live in this area. I hear the sounds of many creatures, but I do not see any lurking around. Jaws looks a bit edgy too, keeping a watchful eye in case any territorial Pokémon decide we are intruding and get defensive. Fortunately, we come to the end of the path without incident and are greeted with a fascinating sight.

“Wow!” I gasp. Before us lie the Ruins of Alph. Several stone structures, as well as a single modern shack, stand among the rubble. I approach a structure and gently touch its wall. It is strangely soft, leading me to believe it is made with a type of sandstone. As I walk around, looking for an entrance, I admire the intricate details put into the architecture. The walls are decorated with various detailing that has a soothing aesthetic effect. The walls are weathered with time, but remain largely intact. Whoever constructed this was an architectural genius.

At last, I come to an entrance. I look down at Jaws, who appears to be nervous. “Are you okay?” I ask. Jaws shivers slightly, fists balled. He is highly alert, constantly looking around, as if he can detect something I cannot. His nervousness starts making me nervous as well. “Try to relax, buddy,” I say calmly.

As we walk through the stone archway, the interior slowly becomes visible. Dim torches gently illuminate the cavern. The walls are lined with ancient drawings of people and Pokémon. I step in further, taking in the sight, when suddenly, the radio on my Pokégear springs to life.

“What the…!” I look at my Pokégear. The radio channel is set for 13.5. It emits an odd sound, warped, distorted, and very eerie. I listen carefully, and it almost sounds like the sorrowful cries of a Pokémon, along with a faint melody that I have never heard before, but yet, is strangely familiar…

“Turn that thing off!” a scruff voice growls behind me. I jump and turn around. “People are trying to work!”

An older man, bearded and dirty, wearing a straw hat and round glasses, stands in the entrance, arms crossed. His once-white shirt is slightly tattered and his brown cargo pants are stained with dirt and mud. A satchel is slung over his shoulder, with various books and tools poking out of its many pockets.

“I’m sorry, sir,” I say, scrambling to turn the radio off. “It just came on by itself.”

“Hmm…” The man starts walking toward me. He takes my arm, looks at the gear, and taps a couple buttons. After a few seconds, the gear falls silent.

“Ah, thank you,” I say. “I just got it today. Haven’t had the chance to figure everything out, haha!”

The old man glares at me from beneath his hat. He looks me up and down, slowly walking around me. I watch him, not moving. Finally, he comes back around, having fully circled me. “What’s your name, boy?” he grumbles

“Ah, it’s Crono,” I say.

The man leans forward and looks me square in the eye. “Why are you here?”

“Uh…” I stammer. “I have always wanted to visit here since I was a kid. I read about it in a book and it always sounded fascinating. I had the opportunity and came here.”

The old man leans back, standing straight up. “You… are genuinely interested in this place?” he asks, sounding surprised.

I nod. “Of course.”

The old man’s face softens and he smiles. “Then welcome to the Ruins of Alph, Crono!” he says excitedly. “The name’s Cole. I’m the head archaeologist here. I’m sorry for being so rough around the edges before. It’s rare to get any visitors here. We mostly get people just looking for treasure. ‘Ain’t no treasure here!’ I tell them. But do they listen? No! They go in and start destroying things, invaluable things that have a rich history deep in mystery. That’s why we’re here. To discover the meaning behind these ruins and protect them from vandals.”

“Well, I’m not here for any treasure,” I promise. “I’m just interested in its history.”

“You’ll find plenty of that here, my boy!” Cole says happily. “Allow me to show you around.” He touches my shoulder and guides me deeper into the chamber. “Along these walls, we have carvings depicting what appears to be the people who built these ruins…”

As he rambles on, I admire the ancient artwork carved into the walls. It appears to be a mural depicting the construction of the ruins in honor of Pokémon, but it is difficult to determine whether it is all Pokémon or a specific one. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see something move.

“Huh?” I turn my head in the direction of the movement, but I see nothing.

“What’s the matter, my boy?” Cole asks.

Uh… nothing,” I say, unsure if I saw something or just a trick of the light.

We move further into the chamber and reach a section of wall with strange drawings on them. “This is what is most fascinating about these ruins,” Cole explains excitedly. “These strange marking on the wall. It’s nothing like the other carvings we’ve seen. We are certain it is some sort of message, written in an ancient language, but we have yet been able to decipher it.”

I touch the wall and trace my finger along the first etching. I step back and look at the entire carving. “Seven characters, hmm?” I mutter, mostly to myself.

“Seven?” Cole asks, confused. He had wandered around the panel, presumably expecting me to follow. “Nonsense, my boy, there are only six there.”

I peek around the corner of the panel. “No, sir, I count seven,” I insist.

Cole comes back to the front and looks. I point up and look as well. “See, sir, there are…” I stop. “…there are only… six…”

Cole just shakes his head and waves his hand at me. “Come, come,” he says. “I’ll take you back to the shack and show you some samples we’ve collected.”

I ponder hard on the panel. “I swear there was seven… wait a minute…” I take a couple more steps back. “Sir… these kind of look like letters. OUR letters!”

Cole turns back to face me. “What are you talking about?”

Jaws suddenly starts getting restless. I pat him on the head, trying to soothe him as I explain what I see. “Look at this, sir,” I say, moving closer to the panel. I touch the first character. “Doesn’t this kind of look like our letter ‘E’?”

The character is round circle with two bent bars, one on top, one on bottom, both right-angled to the right. A third bar seemingly crosses through the center circle. The circle itself almost looks like an eye, with a dot in the middle of it.

“You see?” I ask.

Cole looks closer. “Why, yes,” he agrees. “I suppose it does. Why have we not noticed that before?”

I move my finger along the panel. “The next one kind of looks like an ‘S’, then a ‘C’…” I keep going. “This isn’t an ancient language. It’s OUR language!”

Cole sigh. “So perhaps these ruins aren’t as ancient as we thought,” he says, disappointed.

“Or,” I interject, “perhaps our language is more ancient than we realize.”

Jaws begins to grow even more restless. As brave as he was in battle, something about these ruins has him rattled. He grabs my shorts and holds on tightly. I finish my translation.

“It appears to read ‘Escape’,” I say. “’Escape’… escape from what?”

Suddenly, a low rumble resounds through the chamber. The walls begin to shake slightly. Debris falls from the ceiling. Jaws’ eyes get wide. He lets go of me and starts running toward the exit. “Jaws, wait!” I shout.

Cole looks around in awe. “What is going on?” he asks.

I look back and Jaws is almost at the exit. As he crosses the threshold, a loud groan echoes through the chamber. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the shaking stops and the chamber grows quiet. Jaws peeks back in at me.

I pause for a moment. “Okay, bud,” I call out. “You can come back now. It stopped.”

Jaws hesitates, then re-enters the chamber. Cole has once again vanished, but I hear his voice echo off the walls. “Come, my boy!” he yells. “It’s incredible!”

I walk around the panel. In the dim light, there before me, stands an opening in the wall, inviting us into the darkness.

Jaws and I stare into the gaping darkness before us. A chilling silence befell the chamber, creating an ominous ambience. Cole’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates. His bearded mouth moved silently, as he tries to form words. Finally, he speaks.

“Incredible…” he whispers.

I step towards the opening and peer inside. There appears to be a path to the left of the opening, lined with statues. It is difficult to make them out in the low light. I turn back, grab a torch from the wall, and head into the opening. Cole follows suit.

The flickering light of the torch illuminates the walls, revealing new designs. The murals depict never-before-seen Pokémon alongside humans. As we walk further down the hallway, I observe the statues. They depict some kind of four-legged creature, almost divine-looking, with a great ring around its body. I have never seen or heard of such a creature.

“Fascinating…” Cole whispers. “Just… fascinating! What do you think these statues represent?”

“I don’t know, sir,” I say honestly. “But if you ask me, it must have been some creature the builders of these ruins worshipped.”

Cole gently touched one of the statues. “You think so?”

I shrug. “It’s a thought,” I say. “Why go through all the trouble of making all these statues?”

“Hmm…” Cole stroked his beard. “You make a good point. You know, you’d make a fine archaeologist. Care to join my team?”

“We’ll see, sir,” I say. “I still have things I want to do before I settle down. Um… where’s Jaws??”

I look around, but do not see him anywhere. “Hey, buddy, where’d you go?” I call out.

I suddenly see movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn around and see a shadow down the hallway. I move toward it and the shadow moves away. I start walking towards it. The shadow moves further away. I then start running down the hallway, chasing after the shadow. “Hey, wait!” I shout.

“Whoa, wait for me!” Cole calls out.

I run faster. I know the shadow does not belong to Jaws; it is hovering. Despite this, I continue to chase it. I do not understand, but something inside me needs to know what it is. These ruins have kind of gotten to me, struck a nerve in some way. The murals, the written language, the statues; all of it speaks to me in a way I never knew possible. Something has drawn me to these ruins and I intend on discovering what.

Suddenly, the shadow disappears into a wall. I slide to a halt and trip over Jaws. “Whoa!” I fall to the floor, right on top of him. “Ow…” I roll off of Jaws. “Hey, buddy, sorry about that. Why did you wander off?”

Jaws picks himself off the floor, glaring daggers at me. He brushes himself off, then points at the wall. I look up and see more words. I get up slowly, not taking my eyes off the wall. As I read it, my heart races.

Cole catches up to us, huffing and puffing. “Ooooh,” he groans, cracking his back. “I’m not as young as you, my boy. Take it easy on such an old…” He stops, noticing the wall. “…fascinating…”

I step back, taking in the entire wall. The letters are large, engraved deep into the stone. An overwhelming sense of awe fills my soul.

“Well, boy,” Cole whispers. “What does it say?”

I take a deep breath and read slowly. “It says ‘Our… words… shall… remain… here… for… the… ages?’” I say. I am confused. “It’s a question?”

Suddenly, the question mark moves, coming out of the wall. “Whaaa!” I shout, jumping back. The question mark glides slowly toward me, coming into clear view. It is mostly flat, black, with a round eye where the dot would be. The dot moves around, looking at Jaws, then Cole, and finally, me. It moves closer and hovers in front of me. A gentle chime sounds from the question mark and it bobs up and down in the air.

“What… is it?” Cole asks. “A… Pokémon?!” Cole grabs a notebook out of his satchel and starts scribbling in it.

“It would seem so,” I say. I reach out slowly to touch it. It zips around me, avoiding my touch. I turn around. It hovers in front of me, just staring at me. “This… is incredible.”

Jaws stares up at the floating question mark. He watches it as it floats down towards him. It hovers for a few seconds before flying back toward the wall. My eyes follow it as it flies around the words.

“’Our words shall remain here for the ages’,” I repeat. “These are your words?”

The question mark chimes. Heck if I know what that means.

“These words,” Cole says, gently tracing one of the letters with his fingers. “They appear to be ancient. Just how old are these ruins? We must study this at once!”

“Wait,” I say. “I find this hard to believe. It’s one thing to find ancient words written in our language. It’s something else entirely to find a CREATURE based on our language.”

Cole opens his mouth to speak, then stops. He removes his hat and scratches his head. “You have a point there, my boy. How curious…”

“Sir,” I say. “Do you realize what this means? What if these words written on the wall were not from humans, but from these Pokémon? What if humans didn’t create our language, but humans learned it from Pokémon? Our entire way of communication is based on these creatures!”

“That is one heck of a hypothesis,” Cole says. “I propose another. What if these creatures evolved into these shapes based on our written language? Maybe, they were even created by humans?”

“I don’t think so,” I say. “Look at these statues. Look at the murals. This creature the statues depict was probably worshipped like a god. I don’t think the ancient humans did a lot of genetic engineering.”

“True,” Cole agrees. “However, these creatures are curiously absent from these murals. If they were around back then, why are they not depicted?”

So many mysteries behind these ruins, so many questions. Suddenly, this creature circling my head feels appropriate.

The question mark swirls through the air and disappears into the ceiling. A trap door opens above and a ladder drops in front of me. I look at Jaws and grab the ladder. “I guess we go up.”

Jaws jumps onto my back and I climb the ladder. We go up into the ceiling and discover another chamber. Jaws hops off and walks around as I pull myself up. I reach down and help pull Cole up. I stand up and hold the torch out, illuminating the walls. I spy the question mark hovering in front of a wall. As I approach the wall, one of my feet step sink into the floor. I step back and noticed I triggered a pressure plate. The chamber rumbles and shakes as the wall before me splits open. A breeze flows through and I spell pine. Outside!

“Hey, we’re out!” Cole shouts, running through the opening. Jaws and I walk through and look around. We are on a cliff, looking down at the rest of the ruins. Stars begin to appear in the sky as the sun sinks below the horizon.

“What a day!” Cole exclaims. “So many new discoveries! So many more to find! My boy, good job!” Cole grabs my hand, shaking it enthusiastically. I laugh at his excitement.

“Thank you for the opportunity!” I say.

Jaws tugs on my shorts and points up. I look in the direction he is pointing and see the question mark creature lingering in the doorway. I approach it slowly. I smile and hold my hand out. “Thank you,” I say. “I don’t know what you are, but thank you for everything you have shown us.”

The question mark stares at me, silent. After what seemed like forever, it slowly moves toward my hand. It does not touch me, but I sense a friendliness from it. I look at it and smile, retracting my hand. It hovers there, just staring, but in its own way, I think it is smiling too.

We climb down the cliff and make our way back to the path. Before we leave, Cole grabs my arm and stops me. “Son,” he says sternly. “You have been tremendously helpful out here. We have been here for years and thought we were making a good headway. Now you have shown me we have only begun to scratch the surface. Many more mysteries to solve here. Lots of work to be done.” He looks me square in the eye. “There is room on my team for a young, strapping, and intelligent lad such as you. Are you sure you won’t reconsider?”

I hold my hand out, offering a shake. “I appreciate the offer,” I say. “Maybe later, when I feel I am ready.”

Cole smiles and grasps my hand. We shake, then part. “I look forward to it.”

Jaws and I say our good-byes and walk down the path through the woods. It has gotten late and we need to find a good place to camp. As I ponder where we will stay for the night, I sense a presence hovering just behind me, staring at me. I do not turn around, but simply look ahead, move forward, and smile.