Prologue: The Shadows of the Legends
Long ago, when time began
The legends did not roam.
For it was because of man,
Whom they feared would take their home.
This was not the tone
Of that now cast in sleep;
But the Wisher was alone
For the others had hidden deep.
The others did not forget
That the Wisher walked the lands,
And they feared he would set
Their lives in human hands.
One day the Wisher walked
Into a human dwelling
And to the humans he talked
And was delighted in the telling.
The Wisher saw that man
Did not walk with just his kind,
But that journeys ended and began
With tame monsters following behind.
So the Wisher declared that humanity
Should walk with the legendaries
And the Changer heard of his infamy
And rushed to the Wisher’s prairies.
His anger was like none had known
And he cast the Wisher into a sleep
Where a thousand years must had flown
Before returning from the deep.
But the deed was complete
And the danger stood,
Until the shadows beneath his feet
Changed history for good.
The Changer’s shadow split
Into one for every man
For each shadow was a bit
Of the shadows since time began.
Across the prairie
And under the sea
Each legendary
Gave shadows for you and me.
But the Shadows still
Were dangerous
So the Changer, through sheer will,
Put obstacles between all of us.
Now the lands were far apart
And no human could master
Every Shadow’s heart.
Yet then the Wisher was awakened faster.
The human heart yearns for adventures grand.
There was a human who desired
To travel all the land
And so to the Wisher she inquired.
She asked that one day
Her people could travel
Every forest, cave, and bay
Before space and time did unravel.
The Wisher granted eagerly
Her greatest desire
But he could not feasibly
Enact it before he again did tire.
So the Wisher went into a great sleep
That lasts his thousand years.
Who knows hero or heroine will find they are deep
In adventure beyond their wildest fears?
Chapter One: Cynthia's Call
A fog was settling over the Pokemon League when Cynthia finished her battle against the third of a group of energetic youngsters. Sighing, she went out to look over the shores of the waterfall. “I wish I could travel again,” she muttered, “but now I am the Champion, and I have to stay here most of the time. I wonder what has been happening in my home town?” Cynthia was startled to hear a voice behind her.
“You know, you could just go and see for yourself. I could hold off anyone who tries to visit. If they don’t defeat me, then they are sent back. If they do defeat me, well, that’s pretty unlikely.” Lucian said calmly.
Cynthia whirled around. “Lucian, I wish you would stop sneaking up on me like that! How did you know I was out here?”
“I sensed it.” Lucian laughed, putting down his book. “As for your other question, and yes, I can read minds, but only when the thoughts are very, very strong, my Alakazam does not ‘know’ the MOVE ‘Teleport’, however, it is something that is innate and part of its natural Psychic powers.”
Cynthia shook her head. “Oh, Lucian.” She was about to comment further when she saw the book he was holding. It was by an old friend of hers, Cassy. Cassy lived in Hoenn, but Cynthia felt she would gladly travel to see her old teacher; particularly if an adventure was involved. “Lucian, do you think Cassy might come here? I have not seen her in a long time; she was a student of mine that has since become a researcher and myth seeker herself."
Lucian raised an eyebrow. “Do you fear something is wrong? Why would you invite her? I am quite sure she would love a good adventure, but she is not keen on relocating to Sinnoh from Hoenn, and neither is her Blaziken.”
“How do you know all of this, Lucian? Surely you can’t read her mind from here. She has a very strong will, and we are an entire region away,” Cynthia snorted.
Lucian laughed again. “Don’t be ridiculous! It is in the contact information at the back of the book! I also know from the time I met her when I was taking my vacation. She has a cousin in Sinnoh, and was visiting her for some special occasion. I met up with them by accident in the Seven Stars Restaurant, and she gave me this book as a parting gift.” He sighed. “She seemed quite distracted. I don’t know if it would be a good idea to invite her if you had no real indication that something was wrong; without a clear goal in sight, she tends to wander. In fact, she is known among some Pokemon in Hoenn as ‘The Wanderer’ because she continues to roam the lands, even though she has nothing left to conquer. If there was something truly wrong and she didn’t know it, she might wander off, and that would be no good.”
At that moment, a shock wave ripped through the land, sending a spray of water upward from the falls and knocking Cynthia off her balance. She fell over, but was caught by Lucian before she hit the water. Unfortunately, she banged her head on the corner of his book and Lucian got soaking wet. After getting over the initial shock, Cynthia turned to her comrade, who seemed to be troubled. “It isn’t usual for an earthquake this big, Lucian. And it didn’t feel like an earthquake, more like an explosion. This is not natural. We have to do something. Does it say in the book if she is working on a project at the moment?” Cynthia moaned as she rubbed her head in pain.
“She is merely wandering. She tires of doing that, you know. I think it would be a good idea for both of you if she came to Sinnoh. It would calm your nerves and it would also prevent her from going insane out of boredom. And you were right about the explosion, so I would suggest hurrying the invitation. It may be nothing, but I would rather not take the chance,” Lucian said dryly, shaking the water from his hair.
Cassandra was wandering in the middle of a sandstorm when her PokeGear went off. Annoyed, she sought shelter in a nearby cavern that was once her Secret Base. She tended to move around a lot, and had several locations where she had set up a hideout and used it for several months before packing up and moving on to find a new one. She loved to collect items, so finding room in her pack for new treasures was always a problem. Because of this, she tended to carry around several extra knapsacks, keeping her traveling case separate. As it was, she had a great deal of items to dig through before she found anything. The search was made even more difficult when she remembered she had left her PokeGear in one of her many jackets. This presented a problem because each jacket had four pockets, and she carried one for every situation because she loved them so much. She finally found her PokeGear inside her rain jacket. “Hello! This is Cassandra. How may I help you?” She said right away, pushing her long brown hair out of her face. She was surprised to hear Cynthia on the other end.
“Hello, Cassy! I’m glad this got through to you. How are you doing? And is that a sandstorm I hear out there?” Cynthia replied eagerly. ‘I don’t want to startle her right away with the explosion; I need to present this slowly…’ Cynthia mused to herself.
“I am terribly bored. My latest project on analyzing the role of certain stones in evolution hasn't been going so well. The 'evolution stones' are not native to Hoenn, and they are very hard to come by, so the research is a lot slower than I would like."
“Oh, you finished your paper on the rate of evolution already? I thought you were still working on that with that blaziken you caught. How is he doing?" Cynthia replied, mentally kicking herself for not having guessed that Cassandra would already have another project.
“Oh, Torkie? I actually never caught him. He was imprinted on me by accident when he didn't hatch with the others in his nest and was abandoned. When I was in the area looking over the footprints and the charred ground, he hatched and thought I was his mother. I actually tried several times, but without success,” Cassandra replied absentmindedly. “That is the main reason that I went traveling. Torkie grew restless, and began to cause trouble in the lab. The other was that I was told to make use out of the situation or risk losing my job and being froced to become a Trainer, so I decided to gather data on the experience and intelligence of common Pokemon based on their environment. But you must have had some other reason for calling me. I rarely hear from you, now that you stopped your lectures and became the Sinnoh Champion. Is something on your mind?”
Cynthia sighed. “Actually, I was hoping you would do me a favor. Recently, there has been some suspicious activity within Sinnoh, and I was wondering if you could…,” Cynthia said slowly, hoping Cassandra would wait for her to finish.
Unfortunately, Cassandra had a habit of interrupting when she knew the answer. “And since you have to stay at the Pokemon League, you were hoping I could come and take a look at the situation for you. Why, of course I will do it! I would love to see Sinnoh again, provided they let me bring my team BACK with me. They raised a huge snit, saying they would bring Pokemon to Sinnoh from Hoenn but not back, and I’m not leaving without all of my team and I am not going to stay in Sinnoh, either. Out of curiosity, why don’t you send someone from your hometown to look into it?”
Cynthia rolled her eyes. “Have you ever been to Celestic Town? It is very calm there. No one really wants to travel that much. I was an anomaly. Besides, I don't want this to get too out of control in the hands of the media if nothing is really wrong.”
Cassandra looked outside to see if the sandstorm had stopped. Sand was still being blown along by the wind, but the desert was no longer aggressive. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Can you give me any more information?”
Cynthia thought for a moment, and decided that instructing Cassandra on the blast would be the best course of action. “Well, yesterday there was an explosion somewhere in Sinnoh that could be felt all the way at the Pokemon League.”
Cassandra jerked up, bonking her head on the low ceiling at the entrance of the cave. “OW! Sorry, I hit my head… but an EXPLOSION?! That you felt all the way at the League?!” Cassandra practically shouted into the PokeGear. Cynthia held hers further away to protect her hearing. “In all my experiences, and that of my family, explosions felt in other places mean something very dangerous. I am not sure I am qualified for this task. I am an evolution researcher, not an investigator. Why me?”
Cynthia sighed inwardly. “I seem to recall one of Roxanne's top scholars writing a winning research paper on the storage and harnessing of power in both man-made machines, explosives, and Pokemon. A compare and contrast paper, if I remember correctly, that surprised Roxanne because it was so accurate.”
Cassy blushed as she recalled that assingment. “That took a lot of research, but I can see your point. Sinnoh is powered mainly by harnessing nature, not by the uses of dangerous generators. The knowledge of explosives would be very limited in your region. But if you really feel I am qualified, I will come and check it out. But you must let me bring back up. I am not a battler, despite what others think. I would have to invite some of my classmates. Several of them are slightly familiar with the region, and are skilled Trainers. I think only a handful of them will be able to come, five at the most.”
Cynthia gave a mental cry of relief. “That will be fine, but you will need more than a slight knowledge and a map to get around Sinnoh. It is very extensive. Is there anyone in the region that can guide you? I am afraid I will still be busy for several months before my next vacation.”
“Well, I have a cousin who lives in Sinnoh, Binker. She is a bit younger, and has chosen a different battle style than the one our family traditionally has chosen to use if members decide to become Trainers. She is having a bit of difficulty, but you are right, having someone who knows the area would be highly useful,”
“Well, you better call your friends. I am sure you would like to come right away,” Cynthia finished, closing the conversation. Hearing a knock on her door, she sighed and faced the next challenger.
Cassandra looked at her PokeGear in surprise when Cynthia hung up. She put back on her goggles and went back out into the open, crossing the desert on her trusty Flygon. As they navigated through the wisps of sand blown by the wind and the rocky formations, Cassandra considered on what she should bring with her to Sinnoh. She had plenty of jackets and t-shirts, as well as multiple pairs of corduroys, but she had no formal wear. “I guess it won’t matter; I will be doing an investigation, not attending ceremonies,” Cassandra muttered as they passed a couple of Trainers. It wasn’t long before they reached the end of the desert near Mauville City. She withdrew her Flygon and sent out a Blaziken.
This wasn’t just any Blaziken; she had trained Torkie to talk over the years during their spare time. His speech was slightly garbled and harsh like his natural cry, but he got his point out often enough. He talked quite often, and his sassy attitude had landed him in trouble several times, and had almost forced Cassandra to try her hand at Gym battles to pull some authority over him. Due to Torkie's hatching, however, he had never learned a very good style of battle and had had to teach himself almost ever step of the way. In addition, he was a bit smaller than a normal blaziken because he was what breeders called a 'surplus egg', or an egg that was laid just to ensure the survival of the species. Surplus egg hatched Pokemon were weaker than their kin because they were not recognized by the mother. In the wild, most of these Pokemon never hatched or were eaten by predators. Overall, however, he was a good companion to travel with. When he was irate, however, he tended to complain. “Cassy, I don’t know what you are up to now, but with that grin on your face, it can’t be good. What disaster are you planning to stop all by yourself this time?!” Torkie squawked, waving his arms about. Cassandra rolled her eyes and shoved him an extra bicycle.
“Come on, you birdbrain. We have to get to my secret base. I’m not doing this alone, by the way.”
Torkie grabbed his bicycle as Cassandra mounted hers. Due to the strength in Torkie’s legs, he was given a slower bicycle so that the two of them could keep a fairly even pace, provided Torkie didn’t pedal too hard. Most people in Mauville had grown used to the sight of a talking Blaziken riding a bicycle; Cassandra had a secret base that was not too far from Mauville, and had used the city as her stopping point many times before. “I don’t understand why we have to go there when we can just call them from here, or even in the desert,” Torkie continued, coughing from the smell of a Max Repel. “And do I have to use this all the time? It probably isn’t good for my health.”
“Oh, hush! You were the one who always complained about the ‘interference’ of wild Pokemon when we were trying to get somewhere!” Cassandra retorted as they rode past the town. It was a lovely view from the edge of the city to the water, with a gentle hill and a few trees before the grass faded and met with sand, which in turn was replaced by the lapping of the water on the shore. It wasn’t a river, but the lake was big enough that most trainers had to ride a Pokemon rather than swim across. Cassandra looked mournfully at the water. “If only we could take a break and swim for a while,” She pouted, folding up her bicycle and walking to the shore.
Torkie snorted. “Make up your mind, will you? Besides, your swimming suit is at the base. I thought you had some mission to go on.”
Cassandra glared at Torkie before returning him to his capsule. She searched her pack for the capsule containing her Sharpedo, and was surprised when something splashed water at her. Several trainers were screaming. Shaking the water from her face, she stared right into the maw of a Sharpedo. “Wave Rider! How many times must I tell you not to scare the swimmers?!” Cassandra scolded. The Sharpedo seemed to smile. It swam off, making a few figures in the water before returning. “No, we are not going fishing today, and we are not going swimming today. Just carry me across the water.” The Sharpedo stared at her clothes, then at the other swimmers. It seemed confused. “I know, I’m not wearing my swimming suit, but luckily I am not carrying anything that will be hurt by the water. Come on. Take me over,” Cassandra said, placing a strange harness on the Sharpedo. Because her Sharpedo was not big enough to carry her entirely, Cassandra traveled through water by grabbing hold of a harness she had designed for her water Pokemon. It had taken a while to train the Sharpedo, but after a few years, Cassandra and Wave Rider couldn’t imagine a different way to cross water. The water was warm, and several Wingulls attempted to bother the two of them, but the Bites from Wave Rider quickly deterred further notions among the flock. It wasn’t long before they reached the opposing shore. Cassandra withdrew her Sharpedo before it could cause trouble among the fishermen, and then brought out a Tropius.
The Tropius grunted, and stomped a large foot. Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, Tropics, I’m not going to make you fly me somewhere right now. We are just traveling to my secret base. Goodness, how many times do I have to tell you all? When we are traveling to make Pokeblocks, it seems you always know without me saying a word.” The Tropius snorted and knelt to allow Cassandra to mount it. Without further ado, the two of them were off into the tall grass and traveling east. The sounds of wild Electrike permeated the air, and Cassandra spotted a few of them playing a few feet away. At the sight of her, however, they dashed away and disappeared into the grassy landscape.
Cassandra turned to the north, and then to the west, and stood before a scrawny tree. It was too big to go around, but too small to have been of any use to anything. Cassandra sighed. “This weed keeps sprouting up here. I have no idea why, but it is blocking our way. Uproot it and put it aside, please.” The Tropius growled happily and tossed the small tree into a nearby forest. Cassandra shook her head. “That isn’t what I had in mind… Oh well. The base is just up ahead, so let’s hurry.”
Within a few minutes, Cassandra had arrived at what appeared to be an opening in the stone. Cassandra stepped through it and immediately was faced by a door. She kicked her leg through the frame, tearing down the wrapping paper that had appeared to be real wood. Working around several traps and nearly tripping on her large collection of plush dolls, she finally reached her laptop. She eagerly turned it on and waited for it to load. When it was done loading at last, she opened up her e-mail and began to type the invitations to her fellow classmates.
Will shook his head as he looked over the baby Pidgey. “It has a decent health, ma’am, and good amount of muscle, but its speed will leave much to be desired. It will make a nice pet, though, but I don’t think it is right for battle,” he concluded, handing the energetic creature back to its owner.
The owner pouted, “Oh, but I really wanted to have a Pidgeot on my team. I absolutely adore them, you know?”
Will smiled, and his piercing blue eyes seemed to smile with him. “I am sure there are others in the nest you may have overlooked. Don’t worry, there will be other Pidgeys for you to evolve,” he said, shooing her out the door. When his patroness finally left, he collapsed onto a chair with a sigh. His curly light-orange hair was matched with a sea green colored shirt, a grey jacket, and blue jeans. After stretching, he went over to his desk and grabbed his laptop. “That reminds me; I still have to write my report on how my Sinnoh team is doing in the Hoenn environment,” Will muttered, pulling up his email. He groaned when he saw he had a message from Cassandra. “Oh no, not again,” he grumbled, hastily opening the message. “What trouble does she have in mind now?” He had to smile as he read the message aloud. “Hi Will! I hope you aren’t busy. I just received a call from Cynthia.” Will paused. “Cynthia? Why would she call Cassy? This is odd…” He returned to his mail. “She is very busy at the Pokemon League, and no longer has the time to look over the lands. Apparently, there has been some suspicious activity going on in Sinnoh, and she wants me to take a look into it. She informed me there has been an explosion recently, and that can only mean one of two things; either someone is making large explosives and testing them without telling the Elite Four that they might feel some shock waves, or someone is trying to harness a Pokemon with immense power.”
Will snorted. “There she goes with that big imagination of hers. I guess that is what happens when you spend your life studying myths and legends.” Sighing, he read the last bit of the e-mail. “Due to the danger of either situation, I felt some back-up would be a good idea. Cynthia said I could choose to bring some friends along, and I have decided on five people, including yourself. If you would like to come along and visit Sinnoh, then please reply as soon as you can and be prepared to meet me in Slateport City in two days at noon. Hope to see you there! –Cassandra.”
Will sat back in his chair and pondered on what he should do. If he went to Sinnoh, he could present his team in addition to a written essay. Visible proof would be a great asset to his project, but Cassandra probably wanted him to stick to the reason she invited him to come along. Still, after she was done, he could present his project before going back to Hoenn. Sighing, he stretched and prepared to type his answer. “Hey Cassy. Nice to hear from you again. Hope Torkie is doing alright. Your mail was unexpected, but it does sound like an adventure. I am not sure if it is really as dangerous as you are portraying it, but back-up would be a good idea. I will be able to come along, but I hope Torkie doesn’t mind if I bring a team mostly native to Sinnoh. I will be giving a report after this investigation, but I will be able to be with you during the investigation. See you at Slateport!- Will.” Will hit the ‘send’ icon and began to plan out what he should bring with him to Sinnoh.
“I’m telling you, Jordan! Story writing takes time,” Matthias argued, waving his arms about. His glasses normally made him seem scholarly, but when he was angry it almost made him seem comical. When added to his short brown hair and casual wear, he seemed an unlikely candidate for a dragon trainer. However, he was one of the best in the region, and often surprised first-time opponents with his skill handling Salamences. “And it wasn’t my fault that they kicked me out of Sinnoh right then.”
Jordan snorted, petting her Buizel. Her calm blue eyes matched the water she enjoyed to play in with her Buizel, and they were complemented by her green t-shirt that read ‘I love Buizels’ and her black shorts. Her shoulder-length hair was brought up in a tidy ponytail, and her favorite jacket hung over the side of the chair. “I know, I know! I have heard the story a thousand times. I just feel so bored right now. I wish something exciting would happen.”
“Something exciting? Like what? The last time I wished for excitement, I was framed for stealing something very important,” Matthias retorted, walking over to his computer. “If you don’t mind, I have some writing to do.”
“But you promised to show me those new Buizel pictures from ‘Water Winners Monthly’!” Jordan objected, walking over to the computer.
“No time now. I’m sorry. I’ll show it to you later… hello, what is this?” Matthias exclaimed.
“What are you doing checking your e-mail? I thought you were going to write more of your story,” Jordan said cautiously. She didn’t want Matthias to get angry and refuse to show her the pictures.
“I was checking to see if the online site had any of the pictures. It did, so I was going to give you a link via e-mail, but when I opened my e-mail, this popped up,” Matthias replied, pointing to his screen.
Jordan leaned in and squinted. “An e-mail from CASSY?! Wow, she checks her e-mail, like, once every three months or something. It must be important for her to get back on and send one.”
Matthias turned his head and scowled. “Yeah, so would you mind not reading it over my shoulder?” Jordan stuck out her tongue and went back over to her Buizel. Matthias sighed and opened the message. “Dear Matthias,” it began, “this is not asking about the story, so please give this e-mail a chance before you delete it.” Matthias laughed and moved the mouse away from the ‘delete’ icon. “I recently received a call from Cynthia. She wants me to come to Sinnoh to investigate the cause of an explosion that had a shockwave near the Pokemon League. She is unable to investigate the explosion herself because she is busy being the Sinnoh Champion. Although I am excited to investigate this and to see Sinnoh, I felt it would be a good idea to bring some friends along. You are one of five people I have invited to come with me to Sinnoh; and yes, Cynthia knows I am bringing friends. If you would like to come, please send your response and meet me in Slateport City at noon two days from now. Hope to see you there!- Cassandra.”
“Well, what did it say?” Jordan asked patiently. “Is it about your story? Because she has asked about it at least fifty times before!”
“No, it is not about my story. She is going to Sinnoh and wants me to come along. She said she is inviting four other people as well, so you might want to check your e-mail to see if she sent you one, too,” Matthias replied as he logged out.
“Wait, you are actually going to go on the trip? I thought you just got kicked out of Sinnoh! Why would you want to go back?” Jordan replied as Matthias dashed off to another room.
“Don’t worry!” he shouted from another room. “This is an indirect invitation from their Champion, so I’ll be fine. And I intend to find out who really stole that thing.”
Jordan rolled her eyes and logged on. When she opened her e-mail, she found that she had an almost identical message from Cassandra. She turned to her Buizel. “Well now, we can’t let him have all the excitement, now can we?” She said softly. “Besides, I wonder what Cassy has in mind now.” She was walking out the door when she ran right into a Ninetails and Ruby. “Oof!” she exclaimed.
Ruby shook her long auburn hair in surprise. She was wearing her usual red shirt and black pants, and her dark brown eyes were wide with surprise. Her all-purpose jacket with the pictures of Ninetails, Vulpix, Eevee, and Eevee’s various evolutions on the back was tied around her waist. “Sorry I ran into you, Jordan. Is Matthias at home? I wanted to ask him if he was invited by Cassy to go to Sinnoh, and what he would be bringing. Down, girl!” she snapped at her Ninetails. The Ninetails, who was growling at Jordan’s Buizel, stopped at once.
“Yes, he was invited to go on the trip. I was invited too,” Jordan replied. “I wonder who else she is bringing along? So far, all I know of is Matthias, you, and me. But that’s only three people.”
“Oh, I’m sure she’s bringing Will along as well. Who else might she invite?” Ruby replied, brushing some dust off of her clothes.
“I’m not sure. She probably also invited Neko, now that I think of it,” Jordan mused. “I wonder what he is doing at the moment?”
At that moment, Neko was sleeping. After a long day, he had overslept again by several hours and had forgotten to turn his laptop off. His glasses dangled from his face, and his long black hair covered his face. Because he had fallen asleep before he could change, he wasn’t wearing his pajamas. He was almost done with his sleep cycle when a loud “DING!” jerked him awake. Sputtering, he flailed about, sending his covers flying and nearly knocking his laptop off of the desk next to the couch he was on. “Whoa?” he said groggily. He leaned over and stared at the computer. “Oh, just a new message.” He stretched and yawned. “I might as well get up now anyway,” he mumbled, stumbling over to the laptop. “Huh? A message from Cassy? What is this about?” Neko remarked, opening the e-mail. He read it aloud to help wake himself up. “Hey Neko! How are you? I hope this didn’t wake you up. Well, anyway, Cynthia called me about fifteen minutes ago. She wants me to come investigate an explosion in Sinnoh, and said it was ok if I brought others with me. To be safe, I decided to invite five people, including you, to come with me. If you are interested, please respond as soon as you can and meet me at Slateport City two days from now at noon. Hope to see you there!-Cassandra.” Neko grumbled and began to write his reply.
“Hi Cassy. I should be able to come with you, provided I don’t have a battle tournament pop out of nowhere. Don’t worry, I’m on vacation now, so it wouldn’t matter if that did happen. I’ll see you in Slateport!- Neko.” Neko looked over his work and decided he wouldn’t be able to add to it until he was more fully awake, which wouldn’t happen for a few hours. “I guess I will be able to come, but I don’t know what we are supposed to do. I’m sure there is more to this than I am getting at the moment.” Neko said to himself as he sent his answer. “Oh well, I guess I will find out soon enough. I should buy an alarm clock so I don’t oversleep the day we set out.” Yawning again, he stumbled off into his bedroom to look over what he was going to bring.
The six party members spent the next couple of days packing and preparing for a trip to the region of Sinnoh. Will packed up all of his research data and documents, in addition to a vitamin case, winter coat, climbing gear, and several weeks’ worth of clothes. Ruby packed the grooming kit for her Ninetails, some Pokemon treats, and an outfit for every occasion she could think of. Jordan packed two swimsuits, swimming gear, a large coat and snowshoes, and enough outfits to rival Ruby’s. Neko’s pack included rain gear, binoculars, his laptop, a battle tournament schedule, an overcoat, a portable alarm clock, and enough clothes to last him a month. Matthias packed his story information, his laptop, Salamence treats, enough clothes to last him three weeks, and multiple capes and hats. Cassandra outdid them all; she had an entire suitcase devoted to different types of traveling clothes, and another was stuffed with the information she had gathered about legendary Pokemon from her years of research. She had a duffel bag full of her favorite plush dolls, and a knapsack filled with collectables. Torkie, on the other hand, brought only his cooking and gardening kits. Everyone went around cleaning up their houses, notifying relatives they would be out of the region, and at last it was the day of the trip.
Cassandra arrived in Slateport City at around ten in the morning. Torkie was not yet awake and a bit upset. “Why are we here so early? The earliest anyone will be here is an hour from now. Why couldn’t we have slept in a little longer?” he complained noisily as they boarded the ship.
“I wanted to put all my suitcases away so we didn’t forget anything. Come on now, you carry the suitcases and I’ll carry the bags,” Cassandra replied sharply, shoving the suitcases into her Blaziken’s face. Grunting, Torkie picked up the heavy suitcases with ease and they climbed onboard. They headed to Cassandra’s cabin on the second level after picking up the room key. They got lost twice before finding the right room and dumped the suitcases on the bed.
Torkie looked around in confusion. “And where is my bunk?” he asked expectantly.
Cassandra laughed. “You will be inside your capsule, silly! I can’t believe you expected to get your own bunk.”
Torkie scowled while Cassandra continued to laugh. “Well, that took us a good fifteen minutes. We should head back to make certain we don’t miss the others.”
Cassandra finally stopped laughing, and answered in between gasps for air. “You…are…so…right…Let’s…go.”
It took them another thirty minutes to find their way back, and they had gone through the entire third level, the lower deck, and most of the main deck including the kitchens and the recreation room, before finding the exit to Slateport City. Torkie rolled his eyes at the stares from other people onboard. “You would think they’ve never seen a Blaziken before, the way they look at me,” he commented.
Cassandra snorted. “They’ve never seen one that could talk. Hey, look! It’s Jordan, Ruby, and Matthias!” She waved and began yelling. “Hi guys! Glad you could make it! Why don’t you put your stuff away in your rooms? You pick up your room keys where you turn your tickets in, and you can get off and on until the ship leaves for Sinnoh,” she said breathlessly as she caught up with them.
Matthias grinned. “I see you have already gone through the ship. You aren’t going to try and give us a tour, are you?” he said in mock dismay.
Cassandra laughed. “No, the only tour I would give would be the ‘hopelessly lost’ tour. It took us about forty-five minutes to get to our room and back out here.”
Ruby stifled a laugh of her own, and grinned. “Well then, we better just get on board ourselves. Out of curiosity, who else did you invite?”
Cassandra sighed. “I also invited Will, Neko, Doug, Zach, and Karly, but Will and Neko were the only two able to come. I know, I know, the numbering in the e-mails said a different number, but I forgot to change that when I was writing,” she commented, holding up her hands in a surrendering gesture.
Ruby smiled. “It’s ok. I’m sure we have plenty of people as it is. Well, we better go unpack.”
Jordan turned to Cassandra. “Would you like us to come back out when we finish?”
Cassandra shook her head. “Just get settled in and explore the ship. We will have plenty of time to visit over the next few days; it is quite a trip between Sinnoh and Hoenn.”
With that, the three friends climbed aboard, and Torkie and Cassandra were left waiting for Will and Neko to arrive. After fifteen minutes had passed, Torkie convinced Cassandra to make one last stop at the Slateport Market. “Come on, you know how much Binker loves music. Why don’t you get her some song tiles?” Torkie suggested as they wandered through the market.
“Because I don’t know if that is allowed. We could buy a vitamin kit, she doesn’t have the resources yet, and I know she would like some stat boosters.” Cassandra countered. After ten minutes, Cassandra had bargained the price of the vitamins as close to a reasonable price as she was going to get and had wandered through more than half of the highly extensive market when she spotted Will leaving the market area. “Oh, there’s Will!” she hissed, yanking Torkie away from some displays of food. “Will!” she shouted. “Glad you could make it!”
Will turned in surprise and then grinned widely. “Cassy! Good to see you again! I hope you don’t mind, but I will have some other business to attend to after we investigate this mysterious explosion of yours. Where are the others?”
Torkie pointed to the ship. “They are already unpacked. You should do the same; it sails in fifty minutes and finding your room may take some time.”
“We will see you in a bit. Thank you for coming, Will, I really appreciate it. And don’t worry, I promise Torkie won’t cause any trouble.” Cassandra smiled back. Will hauled his suitcases onto the ship, and once again Cassandra and Torkie were left waiting for someone to arrive.
Sure enough, Neko burst onto the scene five minutes later, slightly disheveled and looking very tired. “Sorry I’m late. Where is everyone?” he panted.
Cassandra couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, Neko! You aren’t late at all, but the ship leaves in forty-five minutes. Why are you so rushed?”
“I set my alarm for the wrong time.” Neko replied, leaning on his suitcases. “I slept past the time I was planning to get ready, so I thought I was going to be late. Where is everyone?” he repeated.
“They are on board, unpacking. Come on, let’s go. It may take you a while to find your room, but lunch will be at 12:30, so don’t take too long.” Cassandra replied, strolling to the ship for the second time. Before she entered it again, she turned and looked out onto the landscape of Hoenn.
Torkie sensed her hesitation. “Don’t worry, you are going off on that grand adventure in Sinnoh. After a great time in another region, I assure you that Hoenn will still be here. There are other Trainers, you know,” he said with a slight smile. Cassandra laughed, and they raced to their cabin, eagerly awaiting the sight of the open sea.
Long ago, when time began
The legends did not roam.
For it was because of man,
Whom they feared would take their home.
This was not the tone
Of that now cast in sleep;
But the Wisher was alone
For the others had hidden deep.
The others did not forget
That the Wisher walked the lands,
And they feared he would set
Their lives in human hands.
One day the Wisher walked
Into a human dwelling
And to the humans he talked
And was delighted in the telling.
The Wisher saw that man
Did not walk with just his kind,
But that journeys ended and began
With tame monsters following behind.
So the Wisher declared that humanity
Should walk with the legendaries
And the Changer heard of his infamy
And rushed to the Wisher’s prairies.
His anger was like none had known
And he cast the Wisher into a sleep
Where a thousand years must had flown
Before returning from the deep.
But the deed was complete
And the danger stood,
Until the shadows beneath his feet
Changed history for good.
The Changer’s shadow split
Into one for every man
For each shadow was a bit
Of the shadows since time began.
Across the prairie
And under the sea
Each legendary
Gave shadows for you and me.
But the Shadows still
Were dangerous
So the Changer, through sheer will,
Put obstacles between all of us.
Now the lands were far apart
And no human could master
Every Shadow’s heart.
Yet then the Wisher was awakened faster.
The human heart yearns for adventures grand.
There was a human who desired
To travel all the land
And so to the Wisher she inquired.
She asked that one day
Her people could travel
Every forest, cave, and bay
Before space and time did unravel.
The Wisher granted eagerly
Her greatest desire
But he could not feasibly
Enact it before he again did tire.
So the Wisher went into a great sleep
That lasts his thousand years.
Who knows hero or heroine will find they are deep
In adventure beyond their wildest fears?
Chapter One: Cynthia's Call
A fog was settling over the Pokemon League when Cynthia finished her battle against the third of a group of energetic youngsters. Sighing, she went out to look over the shores of the waterfall. “I wish I could travel again,” she muttered, “but now I am the Champion, and I have to stay here most of the time. I wonder what has been happening in my home town?” Cynthia was startled to hear a voice behind her.
“You know, you could just go and see for yourself. I could hold off anyone who tries to visit. If they don’t defeat me, then they are sent back. If they do defeat me, well, that’s pretty unlikely.” Lucian said calmly.
Cynthia whirled around. “Lucian, I wish you would stop sneaking up on me like that! How did you know I was out here?”
“I sensed it.” Lucian laughed, putting down his book. “As for your other question, and yes, I can read minds, but only when the thoughts are very, very strong, my Alakazam does not ‘know’ the MOVE ‘Teleport’, however, it is something that is innate and part of its natural Psychic powers.”
Cynthia shook her head. “Oh, Lucian.” She was about to comment further when she saw the book he was holding. It was by an old friend of hers, Cassy. Cassy lived in Hoenn, but Cynthia felt she would gladly travel to see her old teacher; particularly if an adventure was involved. “Lucian, do you think Cassy might come here? I have not seen her in a long time; she was a student of mine that has since become a researcher and myth seeker herself."
Lucian raised an eyebrow. “Do you fear something is wrong? Why would you invite her? I am quite sure she would love a good adventure, but she is not keen on relocating to Sinnoh from Hoenn, and neither is her Blaziken.”
“How do you know all of this, Lucian? Surely you can’t read her mind from here. She has a very strong will, and we are an entire region away,” Cynthia snorted.
Lucian laughed again. “Don’t be ridiculous! It is in the contact information at the back of the book! I also know from the time I met her when I was taking my vacation. She has a cousin in Sinnoh, and was visiting her for some special occasion. I met up with them by accident in the Seven Stars Restaurant, and she gave me this book as a parting gift.” He sighed. “She seemed quite distracted. I don’t know if it would be a good idea to invite her if you had no real indication that something was wrong; without a clear goal in sight, she tends to wander. In fact, she is known among some Pokemon in Hoenn as ‘The Wanderer’ because she continues to roam the lands, even though she has nothing left to conquer. If there was something truly wrong and she didn’t know it, she might wander off, and that would be no good.”
At that moment, a shock wave ripped through the land, sending a spray of water upward from the falls and knocking Cynthia off her balance. She fell over, but was caught by Lucian before she hit the water. Unfortunately, she banged her head on the corner of his book and Lucian got soaking wet. After getting over the initial shock, Cynthia turned to her comrade, who seemed to be troubled. “It isn’t usual for an earthquake this big, Lucian. And it didn’t feel like an earthquake, more like an explosion. This is not natural. We have to do something. Does it say in the book if she is working on a project at the moment?” Cynthia moaned as she rubbed her head in pain.
“She is merely wandering. She tires of doing that, you know. I think it would be a good idea for both of you if she came to Sinnoh. It would calm your nerves and it would also prevent her from going insane out of boredom. And you were right about the explosion, so I would suggest hurrying the invitation. It may be nothing, but I would rather not take the chance,” Lucian said dryly, shaking the water from his hair.
Cassandra was wandering in the middle of a sandstorm when her PokeGear went off. Annoyed, she sought shelter in a nearby cavern that was once her Secret Base. She tended to move around a lot, and had several locations where she had set up a hideout and used it for several months before packing up and moving on to find a new one. She loved to collect items, so finding room in her pack for new treasures was always a problem. Because of this, she tended to carry around several extra knapsacks, keeping her traveling case separate. As it was, she had a great deal of items to dig through before she found anything. The search was made even more difficult when she remembered she had left her PokeGear in one of her many jackets. This presented a problem because each jacket had four pockets, and she carried one for every situation because she loved them so much. She finally found her PokeGear inside her rain jacket. “Hello! This is Cassandra. How may I help you?” She said right away, pushing her long brown hair out of her face. She was surprised to hear Cynthia on the other end.
“Hello, Cassy! I’m glad this got through to you. How are you doing? And is that a sandstorm I hear out there?” Cynthia replied eagerly. ‘I don’t want to startle her right away with the explosion; I need to present this slowly…’ Cynthia mused to herself.
“I am terribly bored. My latest project on analyzing the role of certain stones in evolution hasn't been going so well. The 'evolution stones' are not native to Hoenn, and they are very hard to come by, so the research is a lot slower than I would like."
“Oh, you finished your paper on the rate of evolution already? I thought you were still working on that with that blaziken you caught. How is he doing?" Cynthia replied, mentally kicking herself for not having guessed that Cassandra would already have another project.
“Oh, Torkie? I actually never caught him. He was imprinted on me by accident when he didn't hatch with the others in his nest and was abandoned. When I was in the area looking over the footprints and the charred ground, he hatched and thought I was his mother. I actually tried several times, but without success,” Cassandra replied absentmindedly. “That is the main reason that I went traveling. Torkie grew restless, and began to cause trouble in the lab. The other was that I was told to make use out of the situation or risk losing my job and being froced to become a Trainer, so I decided to gather data on the experience and intelligence of common Pokemon based on their environment. But you must have had some other reason for calling me. I rarely hear from you, now that you stopped your lectures and became the Sinnoh Champion. Is something on your mind?”
Cynthia sighed. “Actually, I was hoping you would do me a favor. Recently, there has been some suspicious activity within Sinnoh, and I was wondering if you could…,” Cynthia said slowly, hoping Cassandra would wait for her to finish.
Unfortunately, Cassandra had a habit of interrupting when she knew the answer. “And since you have to stay at the Pokemon League, you were hoping I could come and take a look at the situation for you. Why, of course I will do it! I would love to see Sinnoh again, provided they let me bring my team BACK with me. They raised a huge snit, saying they would bring Pokemon to Sinnoh from Hoenn but not back, and I’m not leaving without all of my team and I am not going to stay in Sinnoh, either. Out of curiosity, why don’t you send someone from your hometown to look into it?”
Cynthia rolled her eyes. “Have you ever been to Celestic Town? It is very calm there. No one really wants to travel that much. I was an anomaly. Besides, I don't want this to get too out of control in the hands of the media if nothing is really wrong.”
Cassandra looked outside to see if the sandstorm had stopped. Sand was still being blown along by the wind, but the desert was no longer aggressive. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Can you give me any more information?”
Cynthia thought for a moment, and decided that instructing Cassandra on the blast would be the best course of action. “Well, yesterday there was an explosion somewhere in Sinnoh that could be felt all the way at the Pokemon League.”
Cassandra jerked up, bonking her head on the low ceiling at the entrance of the cave. “OW! Sorry, I hit my head… but an EXPLOSION?! That you felt all the way at the League?!” Cassandra practically shouted into the PokeGear. Cynthia held hers further away to protect her hearing. “In all my experiences, and that of my family, explosions felt in other places mean something very dangerous. I am not sure I am qualified for this task. I am an evolution researcher, not an investigator. Why me?”
Cynthia sighed inwardly. “I seem to recall one of Roxanne's top scholars writing a winning research paper on the storage and harnessing of power in both man-made machines, explosives, and Pokemon. A compare and contrast paper, if I remember correctly, that surprised Roxanne because it was so accurate.”
Cassy blushed as she recalled that assingment. “That took a lot of research, but I can see your point. Sinnoh is powered mainly by harnessing nature, not by the uses of dangerous generators. The knowledge of explosives would be very limited in your region. But if you really feel I am qualified, I will come and check it out. But you must let me bring back up. I am not a battler, despite what others think. I would have to invite some of my classmates. Several of them are slightly familiar with the region, and are skilled Trainers. I think only a handful of them will be able to come, five at the most.”
Cynthia gave a mental cry of relief. “That will be fine, but you will need more than a slight knowledge and a map to get around Sinnoh. It is very extensive. Is there anyone in the region that can guide you? I am afraid I will still be busy for several months before my next vacation.”
“Well, I have a cousin who lives in Sinnoh, Binker. She is a bit younger, and has chosen a different battle style than the one our family traditionally has chosen to use if members decide to become Trainers. She is having a bit of difficulty, but you are right, having someone who knows the area would be highly useful,”
“Well, you better call your friends. I am sure you would like to come right away,” Cynthia finished, closing the conversation. Hearing a knock on her door, she sighed and faced the next challenger.
Cassandra looked at her PokeGear in surprise when Cynthia hung up. She put back on her goggles and went back out into the open, crossing the desert on her trusty Flygon. As they navigated through the wisps of sand blown by the wind and the rocky formations, Cassandra considered on what she should bring with her to Sinnoh. She had plenty of jackets and t-shirts, as well as multiple pairs of corduroys, but she had no formal wear. “I guess it won’t matter; I will be doing an investigation, not attending ceremonies,” Cassandra muttered as they passed a couple of Trainers. It wasn’t long before they reached the end of the desert near Mauville City. She withdrew her Flygon and sent out a Blaziken.
This wasn’t just any Blaziken; she had trained Torkie to talk over the years during their spare time. His speech was slightly garbled and harsh like his natural cry, but he got his point out often enough. He talked quite often, and his sassy attitude had landed him in trouble several times, and had almost forced Cassandra to try her hand at Gym battles to pull some authority over him. Due to Torkie's hatching, however, he had never learned a very good style of battle and had had to teach himself almost ever step of the way. In addition, he was a bit smaller than a normal blaziken because he was what breeders called a 'surplus egg', or an egg that was laid just to ensure the survival of the species. Surplus egg hatched Pokemon were weaker than their kin because they were not recognized by the mother. In the wild, most of these Pokemon never hatched or were eaten by predators. Overall, however, he was a good companion to travel with. When he was irate, however, he tended to complain. “Cassy, I don’t know what you are up to now, but with that grin on your face, it can’t be good. What disaster are you planning to stop all by yourself this time?!” Torkie squawked, waving his arms about. Cassandra rolled her eyes and shoved him an extra bicycle.
“Come on, you birdbrain. We have to get to my secret base. I’m not doing this alone, by the way.”
Torkie grabbed his bicycle as Cassandra mounted hers. Due to the strength in Torkie’s legs, he was given a slower bicycle so that the two of them could keep a fairly even pace, provided Torkie didn’t pedal too hard. Most people in Mauville had grown used to the sight of a talking Blaziken riding a bicycle; Cassandra had a secret base that was not too far from Mauville, and had used the city as her stopping point many times before. “I don’t understand why we have to go there when we can just call them from here, or even in the desert,” Torkie continued, coughing from the smell of a Max Repel. “And do I have to use this all the time? It probably isn’t good for my health.”
“Oh, hush! You were the one who always complained about the ‘interference’ of wild Pokemon when we were trying to get somewhere!” Cassandra retorted as they rode past the town. It was a lovely view from the edge of the city to the water, with a gentle hill and a few trees before the grass faded and met with sand, which in turn was replaced by the lapping of the water on the shore. It wasn’t a river, but the lake was big enough that most trainers had to ride a Pokemon rather than swim across. Cassandra looked mournfully at the water. “If only we could take a break and swim for a while,” She pouted, folding up her bicycle and walking to the shore.
Torkie snorted. “Make up your mind, will you? Besides, your swimming suit is at the base. I thought you had some mission to go on.”
Cassandra glared at Torkie before returning him to his capsule. She searched her pack for the capsule containing her Sharpedo, and was surprised when something splashed water at her. Several trainers were screaming. Shaking the water from her face, she stared right into the maw of a Sharpedo. “Wave Rider! How many times must I tell you not to scare the swimmers?!” Cassandra scolded. The Sharpedo seemed to smile. It swam off, making a few figures in the water before returning. “No, we are not going fishing today, and we are not going swimming today. Just carry me across the water.” The Sharpedo stared at her clothes, then at the other swimmers. It seemed confused. “I know, I’m not wearing my swimming suit, but luckily I am not carrying anything that will be hurt by the water. Come on. Take me over,” Cassandra said, placing a strange harness on the Sharpedo. Because her Sharpedo was not big enough to carry her entirely, Cassandra traveled through water by grabbing hold of a harness she had designed for her water Pokemon. It had taken a while to train the Sharpedo, but after a few years, Cassandra and Wave Rider couldn’t imagine a different way to cross water. The water was warm, and several Wingulls attempted to bother the two of them, but the Bites from Wave Rider quickly deterred further notions among the flock. It wasn’t long before they reached the opposing shore. Cassandra withdrew her Sharpedo before it could cause trouble among the fishermen, and then brought out a Tropius.
The Tropius grunted, and stomped a large foot. Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, Tropics, I’m not going to make you fly me somewhere right now. We are just traveling to my secret base. Goodness, how many times do I have to tell you all? When we are traveling to make Pokeblocks, it seems you always know without me saying a word.” The Tropius snorted and knelt to allow Cassandra to mount it. Without further ado, the two of them were off into the tall grass and traveling east. The sounds of wild Electrike permeated the air, and Cassandra spotted a few of them playing a few feet away. At the sight of her, however, they dashed away and disappeared into the grassy landscape.
Cassandra turned to the north, and then to the west, and stood before a scrawny tree. It was too big to go around, but too small to have been of any use to anything. Cassandra sighed. “This weed keeps sprouting up here. I have no idea why, but it is blocking our way. Uproot it and put it aside, please.” The Tropius growled happily and tossed the small tree into a nearby forest. Cassandra shook her head. “That isn’t what I had in mind… Oh well. The base is just up ahead, so let’s hurry.”
Within a few minutes, Cassandra had arrived at what appeared to be an opening in the stone. Cassandra stepped through it and immediately was faced by a door. She kicked her leg through the frame, tearing down the wrapping paper that had appeared to be real wood. Working around several traps and nearly tripping on her large collection of plush dolls, she finally reached her laptop. She eagerly turned it on and waited for it to load. When it was done loading at last, she opened up her e-mail and began to type the invitations to her fellow classmates.
Will shook his head as he looked over the baby Pidgey. “It has a decent health, ma’am, and good amount of muscle, but its speed will leave much to be desired. It will make a nice pet, though, but I don’t think it is right for battle,” he concluded, handing the energetic creature back to its owner.
The owner pouted, “Oh, but I really wanted to have a Pidgeot on my team. I absolutely adore them, you know?”
Will smiled, and his piercing blue eyes seemed to smile with him. “I am sure there are others in the nest you may have overlooked. Don’t worry, there will be other Pidgeys for you to evolve,” he said, shooing her out the door. When his patroness finally left, he collapsed onto a chair with a sigh. His curly light-orange hair was matched with a sea green colored shirt, a grey jacket, and blue jeans. After stretching, he went over to his desk and grabbed his laptop. “That reminds me; I still have to write my report on how my Sinnoh team is doing in the Hoenn environment,” Will muttered, pulling up his email. He groaned when he saw he had a message from Cassandra. “Oh no, not again,” he grumbled, hastily opening the message. “What trouble does she have in mind now?” He had to smile as he read the message aloud. “Hi Will! I hope you aren’t busy. I just received a call from Cynthia.” Will paused. “Cynthia? Why would she call Cassy? This is odd…” He returned to his mail. “She is very busy at the Pokemon League, and no longer has the time to look over the lands. Apparently, there has been some suspicious activity going on in Sinnoh, and she wants me to take a look into it. She informed me there has been an explosion recently, and that can only mean one of two things; either someone is making large explosives and testing them without telling the Elite Four that they might feel some shock waves, or someone is trying to harness a Pokemon with immense power.”
Will snorted. “There she goes with that big imagination of hers. I guess that is what happens when you spend your life studying myths and legends.” Sighing, he read the last bit of the e-mail. “Due to the danger of either situation, I felt some back-up would be a good idea. Cynthia said I could choose to bring some friends along, and I have decided on five people, including yourself. If you would like to come along and visit Sinnoh, then please reply as soon as you can and be prepared to meet me in Slateport City in two days at noon. Hope to see you there! –Cassandra.”
Will sat back in his chair and pondered on what he should do. If he went to Sinnoh, he could present his team in addition to a written essay. Visible proof would be a great asset to his project, but Cassandra probably wanted him to stick to the reason she invited him to come along. Still, after she was done, he could present his project before going back to Hoenn. Sighing, he stretched and prepared to type his answer. “Hey Cassy. Nice to hear from you again. Hope Torkie is doing alright. Your mail was unexpected, but it does sound like an adventure. I am not sure if it is really as dangerous as you are portraying it, but back-up would be a good idea. I will be able to come along, but I hope Torkie doesn’t mind if I bring a team mostly native to Sinnoh. I will be giving a report after this investigation, but I will be able to be with you during the investigation. See you at Slateport!- Will.” Will hit the ‘send’ icon and began to plan out what he should bring with him to Sinnoh.
“I’m telling you, Jordan! Story writing takes time,” Matthias argued, waving his arms about. His glasses normally made him seem scholarly, but when he was angry it almost made him seem comical. When added to his short brown hair and casual wear, he seemed an unlikely candidate for a dragon trainer. However, he was one of the best in the region, and often surprised first-time opponents with his skill handling Salamences. “And it wasn’t my fault that they kicked me out of Sinnoh right then.”
Jordan snorted, petting her Buizel. Her calm blue eyes matched the water she enjoyed to play in with her Buizel, and they were complemented by her green t-shirt that read ‘I love Buizels’ and her black shorts. Her shoulder-length hair was brought up in a tidy ponytail, and her favorite jacket hung over the side of the chair. “I know, I know! I have heard the story a thousand times. I just feel so bored right now. I wish something exciting would happen.”
“Something exciting? Like what? The last time I wished for excitement, I was framed for stealing something very important,” Matthias retorted, walking over to his computer. “If you don’t mind, I have some writing to do.”
“But you promised to show me those new Buizel pictures from ‘Water Winners Monthly’!” Jordan objected, walking over to the computer.
“No time now. I’m sorry. I’ll show it to you later… hello, what is this?” Matthias exclaimed.
“What are you doing checking your e-mail? I thought you were going to write more of your story,” Jordan said cautiously. She didn’t want Matthias to get angry and refuse to show her the pictures.
“I was checking to see if the online site had any of the pictures. It did, so I was going to give you a link via e-mail, but when I opened my e-mail, this popped up,” Matthias replied, pointing to his screen.
Jordan leaned in and squinted. “An e-mail from CASSY?! Wow, she checks her e-mail, like, once every three months or something. It must be important for her to get back on and send one.”
Matthias turned his head and scowled. “Yeah, so would you mind not reading it over my shoulder?” Jordan stuck out her tongue and went back over to her Buizel. Matthias sighed and opened the message. “Dear Matthias,” it began, “this is not asking about the story, so please give this e-mail a chance before you delete it.” Matthias laughed and moved the mouse away from the ‘delete’ icon. “I recently received a call from Cynthia. She wants me to come to Sinnoh to investigate the cause of an explosion that had a shockwave near the Pokemon League. She is unable to investigate the explosion herself because she is busy being the Sinnoh Champion. Although I am excited to investigate this and to see Sinnoh, I felt it would be a good idea to bring some friends along. You are one of five people I have invited to come with me to Sinnoh; and yes, Cynthia knows I am bringing friends. If you would like to come, please send your response and meet me in Slateport City at noon two days from now. Hope to see you there!- Cassandra.”
“Well, what did it say?” Jordan asked patiently. “Is it about your story? Because she has asked about it at least fifty times before!”
“No, it is not about my story. She is going to Sinnoh and wants me to come along. She said she is inviting four other people as well, so you might want to check your e-mail to see if she sent you one, too,” Matthias replied as he logged out.
“Wait, you are actually going to go on the trip? I thought you just got kicked out of Sinnoh! Why would you want to go back?” Jordan replied as Matthias dashed off to another room.
“Don’t worry!” he shouted from another room. “This is an indirect invitation from their Champion, so I’ll be fine. And I intend to find out who really stole that thing.”
Jordan rolled her eyes and logged on. When she opened her e-mail, she found that she had an almost identical message from Cassandra. She turned to her Buizel. “Well now, we can’t let him have all the excitement, now can we?” She said softly. “Besides, I wonder what Cassy has in mind now.” She was walking out the door when she ran right into a Ninetails and Ruby. “Oof!” she exclaimed.
Ruby shook her long auburn hair in surprise. She was wearing her usual red shirt and black pants, and her dark brown eyes were wide with surprise. Her all-purpose jacket with the pictures of Ninetails, Vulpix, Eevee, and Eevee’s various evolutions on the back was tied around her waist. “Sorry I ran into you, Jordan. Is Matthias at home? I wanted to ask him if he was invited by Cassy to go to Sinnoh, and what he would be bringing. Down, girl!” she snapped at her Ninetails. The Ninetails, who was growling at Jordan’s Buizel, stopped at once.
“Yes, he was invited to go on the trip. I was invited too,” Jordan replied. “I wonder who else she is bringing along? So far, all I know of is Matthias, you, and me. But that’s only three people.”
“Oh, I’m sure she’s bringing Will along as well. Who else might she invite?” Ruby replied, brushing some dust off of her clothes.
“I’m not sure. She probably also invited Neko, now that I think of it,” Jordan mused. “I wonder what he is doing at the moment?”
At that moment, Neko was sleeping. After a long day, he had overslept again by several hours and had forgotten to turn his laptop off. His glasses dangled from his face, and his long black hair covered his face. Because he had fallen asleep before he could change, he wasn’t wearing his pajamas. He was almost done with his sleep cycle when a loud “DING!” jerked him awake. Sputtering, he flailed about, sending his covers flying and nearly knocking his laptop off of the desk next to the couch he was on. “Whoa?” he said groggily. He leaned over and stared at the computer. “Oh, just a new message.” He stretched and yawned. “I might as well get up now anyway,” he mumbled, stumbling over to the laptop. “Huh? A message from Cassy? What is this about?” Neko remarked, opening the e-mail. He read it aloud to help wake himself up. “Hey Neko! How are you? I hope this didn’t wake you up. Well, anyway, Cynthia called me about fifteen minutes ago. She wants me to come investigate an explosion in Sinnoh, and said it was ok if I brought others with me. To be safe, I decided to invite five people, including you, to come with me. If you are interested, please respond as soon as you can and meet me at Slateport City two days from now at noon. Hope to see you there!-Cassandra.” Neko grumbled and began to write his reply.
“Hi Cassy. I should be able to come with you, provided I don’t have a battle tournament pop out of nowhere. Don’t worry, I’m on vacation now, so it wouldn’t matter if that did happen. I’ll see you in Slateport!- Neko.” Neko looked over his work and decided he wouldn’t be able to add to it until he was more fully awake, which wouldn’t happen for a few hours. “I guess I will be able to come, but I don’t know what we are supposed to do. I’m sure there is more to this than I am getting at the moment.” Neko said to himself as he sent his answer. “Oh well, I guess I will find out soon enough. I should buy an alarm clock so I don’t oversleep the day we set out.” Yawning again, he stumbled off into his bedroom to look over what he was going to bring.
The six party members spent the next couple of days packing and preparing for a trip to the region of Sinnoh. Will packed up all of his research data and documents, in addition to a vitamin case, winter coat, climbing gear, and several weeks’ worth of clothes. Ruby packed the grooming kit for her Ninetails, some Pokemon treats, and an outfit for every occasion she could think of. Jordan packed two swimsuits, swimming gear, a large coat and snowshoes, and enough outfits to rival Ruby’s. Neko’s pack included rain gear, binoculars, his laptop, a battle tournament schedule, an overcoat, a portable alarm clock, and enough clothes to last him a month. Matthias packed his story information, his laptop, Salamence treats, enough clothes to last him three weeks, and multiple capes and hats. Cassandra outdid them all; she had an entire suitcase devoted to different types of traveling clothes, and another was stuffed with the information she had gathered about legendary Pokemon from her years of research. She had a duffel bag full of her favorite plush dolls, and a knapsack filled with collectables. Torkie, on the other hand, brought only his cooking and gardening kits. Everyone went around cleaning up their houses, notifying relatives they would be out of the region, and at last it was the day of the trip.
Cassandra arrived in Slateport City at around ten in the morning. Torkie was not yet awake and a bit upset. “Why are we here so early? The earliest anyone will be here is an hour from now. Why couldn’t we have slept in a little longer?” he complained noisily as they boarded the ship.
“I wanted to put all my suitcases away so we didn’t forget anything. Come on now, you carry the suitcases and I’ll carry the bags,” Cassandra replied sharply, shoving the suitcases into her Blaziken’s face. Grunting, Torkie picked up the heavy suitcases with ease and they climbed onboard. They headed to Cassandra’s cabin on the second level after picking up the room key. They got lost twice before finding the right room and dumped the suitcases on the bed.
Torkie looked around in confusion. “And where is my bunk?” he asked expectantly.
Cassandra laughed. “You will be inside your capsule, silly! I can’t believe you expected to get your own bunk.”
Torkie scowled while Cassandra continued to laugh. “Well, that took us a good fifteen minutes. We should head back to make certain we don’t miss the others.”
Cassandra finally stopped laughing, and answered in between gasps for air. “You…are…so…right…Let’s…go.”
It took them another thirty minutes to find their way back, and they had gone through the entire third level, the lower deck, and most of the main deck including the kitchens and the recreation room, before finding the exit to Slateport City. Torkie rolled his eyes at the stares from other people onboard. “You would think they’ve never seen a Blaziken before, the way they look at me,” he commented.
Cassandra snorted. “They’ve never seen one that could talk. Hey, look! It’s Jordan, Ruby, and Matthias!” She waved and began yelling. “Hi guys! Glad you could make it! Why don’t you put your stuff away in your rooms? You pick up your room keys where you turn your tickets in, and you can get off and on until the ship leaves for Sinnoh,” she said breathlessly as she caught up with them.
Matthias grinned. “I see you have already gone through the ship. You aren’t going to try and give us a tour, are you?” he said in mock dismay.
Cassandra laughed. “No, the only tour I would give would be the ‘hopelessly lost’ tour. It took us about forty-five minutes to get to our room and back out here.”
Ruby stifled a laugh of her own, and grinned. “Well then, we better just get on board ourselves. Out of curiosity, who else did you invite?”
Cassandra sighed. “I also invited Will, Neko, Doug, Zach, and Karly, but Will and Neko were the only two able to come. I know, I know, the numbering in the e-mails said a different number, but I forgot to change that when I was writing,” she commented, holding up her hands in a surrendering gesture.
Ruby smiled. “It’s ok. I’m sure we have plenty of people as it is. Well, we better go unpack.”
Jordan turned to Cassandra. “Would you like us to come back out when we finish?”
Cassandra shook her head. “Just get settled in and explore the ship. We will have plenty of time to visit over the next few days; it is quite a trip between Sinnoh and Hoenn.”
With that, the three friends climbed aboard, and Torkie and Cassandra were left waiting for Will and Neko to arrive. After fifteen minutes had passed, Torkie convinced Cassandra to make one last stop at the Slateport Market. “Come on, you know how much Binker loves music. Why don’t you get her some song tiles?” Torkie suggested as they wandered through the market.
“Because I don’t know if that is allowed. We could buy a vitamin kit, she doesn’t have the resources yet, and I know she would like some stat boosters.” Cassandra countered. After ten minutes, Cassandra had bargained the price of the vitamins as close to a reasonable price as she was going to get and had wandered through more than half of the highly extensive market when she spotted Will leaving the market area. “Oh, there’s Will!” she hissed, yanking Torkie away from some displays of food. “Will!” she shouted. “Glad you could make it!”
Will turned in surprise and then grinned widely. “Cassy! Good to see you again! I hope you don’t mind, but I will have some other business to attend to after we investigate this mysterious explosion of yours. Where are the others?”
Torkie pointed to the ship. “They are already unpacked. You should do the same; it sails in fifty minutes and finding your room may take some time.”
“We will see you in a bit. Thank you for coming, Will, I really appreciate it. And don’t worry, I promise Torkie won’t cause any trouble.” Cassandra smiled back. Will hauled his suitcases onto the ship, and once again Cassandra and Torkie were left waiting for someone to arrive.
Sure enough, Neko burst onto the scene five minutes later, slightly disheveled and looking very tired. “Sorry I’m late. Where is everyone?” he panted.
Cassandra couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, Neko! You aren’t late at all, but the ship leaves in forty-five minutes. Why are you so rushed?”
“I set my alarm for the wrong time.” Neko replied, leaning on his suitcases. “I slept past the time I was planning to get ready, so I thought I was going to be late. Where is everyone?” he repeated.
“They are on board, unpacking. Come on, let’s go. It may take you a while to find your room, but lunch will be at 12:30, so don’t take too long.” Cassandra replied, strolling to the ship for the second time. Before she entered it again, she turned and looked out onto the landscape of Hoenn.
Torkie sensed her hesitation. “Don’t worry, you are going off on that grand adventure in Sinnoh. After a great time in another region, I assure you that Hoenn will still be here. There are other Trainers, you know,” he said with a slight smile. Cassandra laughed, and they raced to their cabin, eagerly awaiting the sight of the open sea.
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