Chapter 16 – Tower Secrets
It has been two days since our little adventure inside Relic Castle. The scientists were ecstatic to finally be able to venture inside the ruins, without being victimized by the ghosts inhabiting that place. I have also been spending a good amount of my time inside the ruins mostly hanging out with the Cofagrigus inside the treasure room. This Pokémon is the first ghost-type I could kind of get along with. Me translating what’s written on his plate has endeared me to the Pokémon such that out of any of the expedition members I alone could come and go inside his treasure room. The expedition members are satisfied with studying and archiving all the mural paintings in the corridors for now, but I knew sooner or later they’d try their hand at acquiring some of those relics Cofagrigus kept inside his treasury.
“I am telling you the best way to keep those other humans off your back is by trading some of your less interesting items to them in exchange for something of equal or greater value.”
“Griii…”
‘…’
‘What did he say?’
“That humans cannot be trusted. He has dealt with intruders that tried to rob him of his treasure before.”
I was clearly not getting through to him. Considering all my options I decided that a practical example would be my best bet.
“Let’s say you decide to trade just one of your gold pieces in with the expedition. You could get as much as three times its raw value. These archeologists are more interested in its historical importance than the monetary value of your treasure. If you want, they’d probably pay you in gold bars. You’d have more than what you started with.”
“Grii Gri…”
“He says he’ll think about it.”
‘Okay that went better than expected now certain individuals inside the expedition have a better chance of not getting turned into mummies. Now to slowly ease into my second objective.’
“Say, could you help me for a more personal matter?”
“Grigus?”
“I have an objective I want to accomplish inside the lower levels of this place. Can you point me in the right direction?”
“Cofag gri.”
“They have a tentative agreement with something he calls the sun not to venture in the lowest levels.”
‘This Sun figure is probably the Pokémon I am looking for, and if that is the case…’
“Can you share with me the general direction of the castle tower leading all the way to the lowest levels? I really want to meet this sun Pokémon.”
“Cofa Cofa.”
“If you go directly west from the entrance you will find the tower. However, the baltoy that make the tower their home have discovered an inventive use of mass hypnosis. Pokémon and people that encounter the tower can’t focus directly on the structure. They can only perceive it within the edges of their vision.”
“Awesome, that's just what I needed to hear. Thanks for the information, big guy.”
“Grigus Gri.”
“He says that you can consider this as a form of payment for your companionship. He hasn’t talked to anyone as interesting as you for a long time.”
“Well, you are quite the character too. The first ghost type that hasn’t strung my shoelaces together or used cheap scare tactics while I am asleep.”
After saying my goodbyes to Cofagrigus we made our way upwards back to the entrance. Unlike the first time I came here the halls are now riddled with PHD’s and their interns. Relic Castle has become a lot safer now that the ghost types have backed off. They still had the occasional sandile or krokorok tunneling inside, but those Pokémon left well enough alone mostly using these ruins as a resting place.
Phoebe mostly kept to herself to avoid the harsh conversations she’ll face when having to confront the pranking victims of her Pokémon. She didn’t mind that though, having already gotten used to people’s reaction regarding her team. Like me she also spent a lot of time inside that treasure room. Mostly trying to catch a glimpse of the spooky plate again. She was fascinated by the strange energy it put out and so were her Pokémon. The rest of her time was spent training the newly caught Yamask in how to pull off pranks and introducing the child ghost to the ways of Pokémon battling.
Aside from spending time at relic castle I also kept in touch with Aurea. She usually pays us a visit during breakfast and dinner time before and after she gets off from work. The future regional professor strangely enjoyed watching Victini eat. I have long since discovered her weakness to cute Pokémon. Aurea wasn’t much of a trainer, but her team reflected her tastes pretty well. I have already met her Purrloin, Mincinno, Cottonee and Emolga. They sometimes joined us for our shared meals. The final two Pokémon she carried on her person are on loan from her father and some of the strongest ones he keeps inside his corral in Nuvema town. The older Professor Juniper refused to let her go on this expedition without some assurances concerning her protection.
“I did it, Egon! What do you think of this Pokédex entry?”
Victini the Victory Pokémon. A psychic and fire type. This Pokémon brings victory. It is said that trainers with Victini always win, regardless of the type of encounter. Please note that trainers of this Pokémon need to keep a watchful eye during mealtimes Victini is known to gorge on its food without chewing properly leading it to often choke on its food.
“Vi VI!” “No! That is not true!”
Victini, distressed, projected her thoughts on the entry outwards. Aurea was obviously teasing my Pokémon to lure out more cute reactions. I myself wasn’t a stranger to some good-natured ribbing, so I let it pass this time. Since we were still in the middle of dinner, Victini started to consume her food at a slower pace trying to disprove her newest Pokédex entry.
“Aurea any updates on the whole Lenora situation? She still owes me a gym battle.”
“I don’t think it’s possible to direct her attention somewhere that doesn’t have anything to do with Relic Castle. At heart she is more of an archeologist than a battler. She will keep to her promise of battling you, but in her own free time. You’d have a good chance of getting a match out of her later in the season.”
“Keeping to the words of our deal but not their spirit I see… Say If I try to catch another darmanitan she won’t suddenly jump in like last time?”
Aurea gives me a solemn look before answering. “I would not advise another attempt at catching one of the darmanitan. If you are still inclined to do so, wait until she is inside the ruins. The rest of the expedition will not interfere with a second attempt. Since trainers catching wild Pokémon isn’t breaking any laws.”
Aurea’s silent endorsement reawakened the ambitious side of my mind. ‘I was planning to leave tomorrow morning and maybe come back for a darmanitan after my gym match with Burgh but If I time things right I could still walk away from this with one extra Pokémon in my team.’
“When are we going?”
‘Tonight, when most of the camp is asleep. The tower should be less than an hour’s walk away. If we time everything right, we can make it back before dawn.’
----------------------------------------
That night I was woken up by the alarm of my Xtransceiver going off. We decided to set the timer for 2 AM When most of the adults should be asleep.
“Come on, you guys, wake up!”
It was Rena’s job to sleep with Victini tonight. Her multiple tails wrapped around the little Pokémon acting as a makeshift blanket. She pawed at my face letting me know she wasn’t ready to wake up yet. Victini however was still good to go, so I decided to recall Rena into her ball letting her rest some more while the little rabbit Pokémon and I sneaked out of camp. Instead of having the hired trainers guard them, the people in charge made liberal use of repels to discourage wild Pokémon from entering the camp at night. We took our chances and made out like bandits into the night.
‘Can you sense if anyone’s awake and outside their tent Victini?’
“I don’t know. Sleeping minds feel the same to me.”
‘No worries, sneaking out alone isn’t illegal. I just don’t want “you know who” stalking us.’
“There are two people inside Prof. Hawes’ tent if that helps?”
‘Great job Tini, you are the best.’
With renewed confidence we both sneaked our way outside the camp boundaries. Victini being nauseated as we crossed the repel coated borderlines. Repel is one of the more trusted tools in a trainer’s arsenal. Pokémon dislike coming near anyone or thing doused with it. Most trainers just use it during nights so they can get a good night’s rest without having to worry about any wild Pokémon stealing their supplies or attacking them in their sleep. Repels aren’t full proof though if a trainer has antagonized a particular individual or group of Pokémon too much, they were apt to disregard the bad smell and attack anyways.
“We are beyond the border Tini, now to just head westwards. Thank Arceus the Xtransceiver comes with a compass application.”
“And where do you think you are going, Egon?”
Startled, I turn around while Victini quickly turned invisible. Standing there obviously having tailed us all the way from camp is Phoebe, accompanied by one of her banette’s. The blasted thing obviously has been spying on us, that creepy open zipper grin confirming my suspicions.
“Uhh nowhere Phoebe I couldn’t sleep so I wanted to take a nice long walk to clear my head.”
“Really? Mind if we join you then?”
“Well long walks in the desert are best done on your lonesome…”
“Quit the gibberish Egon. I know you are planning something big. My darling Banette told me all about it. She also told me you have another Pokémon on hand who you’ve been planning this all out with. Why did you lie to me about not having caught any more Pokémon?”
‘Caught! How come you didn’t sense that ghost spying on us?’
“Ghost and dark types are hard to notice, okay? I have never done this type of stuff before.”
“Well Egon, are you going to explain yourself…?”
“I guess the jig is up. You can show yourself Victini.”
My rabbit companion stopped refracting light making herself visible towards the newcomers.
“Oh my gosh! your new Pokémon is such a cutie!”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
‘Do we have to go through this every time Victini shows herself to a girl!?’
Composure forgotten Phoebe rushes towards our position and tries to pet my team member. Usually, Victini would shy away from such overly familiar behavior from strangers, but Victini has observed Phoebe hanging out with me for a couple of days now. So, she quickly relented in the face of this oncoming assault.
“These ears are so warm and fluffy! This Pokémon is a fire type, right?”
“Psychic and Fire type actually. Anyways, now that you know our secret, we should have a long discussion about this. You can keep following us as we talk.”
----------------------------------------
“So, what you are saying is that this cupcake is some sort of very special Pokémon and if bad people hear about her, they’d try to forcefully take Victini away from you?”
“Yes, that’s about right.”
Phoebe insisted on holding onto Victini as we walked, not leaving the rabbit Pokémon out of her arms. Victini initially resisted her wanton ways, but quickly warmed up to her enough that she didn’t resist being carried around like a stuffed doll.
‘Maybe she likes being carried around like this?’
“Vi Vi!” “No!”
“For now, while I am still training up my team, I’d like to keep Victini’s existence a secret.”
“Hmm yes, I see your point. The only other trainer in a similar situation like you is the Pyramid King Brandon. He recently revealed that he captured the legendary Pokémon Registeel, Regirock and Regice. Brandon is a veteran trainer on equal footing with champions so no one is dumb enough to try and steal his Pokémon. A squirt like you on the other hand…”
“I told you that I am still growing! However, please don’t tell anyone. The less people in the know the better. So far only Unova’s regional professor and his daughter know about Victini.”
“So that’s why that uppity white coat keeps spending time with you alone! For a while there I thought she had convinced you to quit the life of a trainer and enroll into college early.”
“You think I am smart?”
“Of course! My little Egon can do whatever he sets his mind to.”
“I am not… never mind, I think we have arrived.”
Suddenly it became really hard for me to focus straight ahead. This must be the mind-numbing effect from the tower.
“Tini, can you see the tower?”
“Yes, that distortion effect doesn’t affect me.”
“Can you lead us?”
It was at this moment that Phoebe interjected herself into our conversation.
“Hold up Egon, what are you guys talking about?”
“There’s this tower right in front of us. Cofagrigus told me about this alternate entrance into the ruins below. The baltoy living here can alter the perception of passerby’s, this entrance has remained undiscovered up until now.”
“Is this true darling?”
“Nette!”
Her banette gave an affirming nod in response to its trainer’s enquiry. ‘Good it seems her ghost types aren’t affected either.’
“I think the best thing to do is to hold hands with our Pokémon so that they can lead us inside. The effect should probably disappear when we make it in.”
“Hey, wait a minute Egon! How come you want to go inside anyway?”
“There’s this fire type Pokémon living on the bottom level of these ruins that I desire to meet. I want the opportunity to catch one of their lineage.”
“…Okay then, this also counts for my promise with helping you catch a new Pokémon.”
Victini levitated out of Phoebe’s arms and used her tiny paws to hold one of my fingers pulling me towards the entrance. Banette did the same for Phoebe, her shadowy claws holding onto her hands and leading her trainer into the entrance. Getting nearer to the tower I developed a mild headache nothing too painful, but still subconsciously encouraging me not to get closer.
‘Interesting this must be another way of keeping the tower safe from intruders.’
As soon as our respective Pokémon pulled us beyond the gateway the banging in my head stopped. I could clearly perceive the tower’s interior. The aesthetics were mostly similar to what we have already seen from the ruins. I turned around to observe the entrance we just came in from. It most resembled a tower window not something meant for people to pass through. If these ruins are really the remains of an ancient castle the geography of the land must have shifted majorly, since the time of its construction thousands of years ago, for so much of it to be buried in sand.
“The top floor is devoid of any wild Pokémon, but I reckon we’ll spot a good many if we have to go down all the way to the bottom, lets keep our wits sharp.”
“Ya don’t have to worry Egon we are the strongest!”
“Nette!”
As expected, the tower room was filled with sand. However, the staircase residing in the middle of the floor was spotless and oddly well maintained. For a staircase that’s over a thousand years old you’d expect at least some amount of blemishes or cracks.
“The Pokémon living here must be maintaining this staircase; it's in too pristine of a condition.”
“Well at least we know something is living here. Let us make haste Egon!”
Our group started to descend into the depths of the ruins. Unlike the main hall entrance back at camp this couldn’t be more straightforward we just had to keep walking down this stairwell. Oddly enough we couldn’t spot any Pokémon on the first three floors but on the fourth floor…
“Toy… Toy…”
This floor contained a quintuplet of Baltoy lazily spinning around without stopping. They don’t seem to have reacted to our presence.
Baltoy, the Clay Doll Pokémon. Baltoy moves about while spinning like a top. It has been said that Baltoy coexisted with humans in ancient times. No further information available.
“Phoebe, can you? This Pokédex has very little information about nonnative species. Well… formerly nonnative species when people find out about these little guys.”
“Ugh… you and your strange obsession with Pokédexes.”
Baltoy, the Clay Doll Pokémon. It constantly spins even when asleep. It has been depicted in murals adorning the walls of a once-bustling city in an ancient age. When they find others of their kind, they cry out loudly and gather together. Large numbers of them can be found in old graveyards and ruins.
“Well, that information checks out. Should we wake them up? It is inevitable that we get spotted the further down we go. Might as well be polite intruders.”
“I guess so, Baltoy aren’t even dangerous anyway. I play pranks on my grandfather’s Claydol all the time.”
“Your grandpa has a claydol?! How come I haven’t noticed before?”
“Because it sleeps most of the year. It can take months before it decides to wake up again.”
I cautiously prod one of the sleeping baltoy
“Uhmm hello there, can you please wake up?”
The little guy reacts to my prodding, its spinning coming to a brief halt.
“Toy!?”
“Hello there, my name is Egon, and this is Phoebe, my friend, and these are our partners Victini and Banette. It’s a pleasure to meet you Baltoy.”
“Vi VI Tini!”
“Nette!”
The commotion seems to have woken up the other four baltoy all equally as startled as the first one. The group all huddled up together switching from looking at us back to their heated discussion. Finally, the one I talked to first hopped forward and tried to start a conversation with us.
“Toy Toy?”
“Victini, can you translate for us?”
“Vi!” “Sure!”
“Baltoy wants to know why we have come here.”
“Wait Victini can talk telepathically!? She could have shared her favorite petting spots with me the whole time.”
“…not the time Phoebe, and Victini’s still not used to people. She only let you hold her because you are my trusted friend.”
Redirecting my attention back to the baltoy I proceed to start conversing with it.
“We have come here because I want to meet the Volcarona that’s living downstairs. You might know her as the sun. Is it possible to arrange a meeting?”
The Baltoy huddles back into the group and they start conversing again. After a while the one I identified as the leader of the group spoke up again.
“Bal Toy.”
“He says that we may follow him downstairs to meet with his elders. The decision if we are allowed to meet Sunny is up to them.”
‘Sunny? That’s a strange form of endearment.’
Still spinning the Baltoy went further down the stairs. The way he did it was very amusing to watch making a mid-air twirl for every tread on the staircase. Like that we traversed another four stories of the castle. The lower we went the cleaner the place became. We came across more sleeping Baltoy, but our guide made no motions to wake them up. Letting his compatriots remain in deep slumber.
“There’s almost no sand on the lower levels; these baltoy run a tight ship. Do you figure I could hire one of these little dudes to clean up all the clumps of shed fur you guys leave behind inside the center dorm?”
“VI!” “Hey!”
“Sorry, just teasing.“
Eventually we made it to the bottom floor. Great pillars rose up from the ground preventing all of Relic Castle from sinking further into the ground. Baltoy guided us through this underground labyrinth. This maze was very confusing, but Baltoy was leading us south-east by my estimations taking the southern and eastern passages when available. Which eventually led us to a room with lots of ceramic pottery. Inside this room are two larger Pokemon sleeping. Considering their features it was pretty clear these two are claydolls.
Claydol, the Clay Doll Pokémon. Claydol is the evolved form of Baltoy. These ancient Pokémon are said to come alive when a mysterious light instilled life into clay creatures created in ancient times. Claydol can fly and are able to fire beams from both arms. If it gets wet, its body melts. When rain starts to fall, it wraps its whole body up with its psychic powers to protect itself.
“Thank you, Phoebe.”
“Well, I figured you would ask me eventually.”
The little Baltoy’s eyes glowed blue for a while until the two slumbering Claydolls started moving.
Being asleep for so long has left a layer of dried sediment on them that isn’t part of their bodies. So, when they first started moving again in such a long time the dried crusted up mud started falling off in patches.
The Baltoy and Claydolls started having some form of telepathic conversation. Baltoy might not be strong or proficient enough to project its mind outward, but I am betting that wasn’t the case for these two claydol.
A mental probe sought entrance into my mind, one that wasn’t Victini’s. Me and her being linked she noticed the foreign intrusion too. My brainbox being one of the places she has laid claim to, Victini was understandably upset when someone else tried to get inside without asking her permission.
‘It’s alright they probably just want to communicate with me directly to avoid misunderstandings.’
“Okay… but don’t let them in too deep.”
Victini’s presence retreated to make space for the Claydol. The thoughts of this Pokémon felt kind of alien, more machine-like. Most likely due to its non-biological nature.
“You seek an audience with Sunny? For what purpose?”
“Sunny? The Cofagrigus up above told me she was called The Sun.”
“Her original ancestor was called by that title the specter up above has no concept of time and frequently confuses one for the other.”
“Oh, thank you for the explanation that had been bugging me for a while. Ehem I’ve come down here to see such a fabled Pokémon up close, and also maybe to ask one of her offspring to be our partner.”
“Your words hold no lies, we will converse amongst ourselves to decide. Does your other human companion have a similar purpose in coming here?”
“Phoebes, they're asking if you also want to catch a Pokémon here.”
“No way I can only capture one more Pokémon in this region. As soon as we are done here, I am heading straight for the celestial tower.”
Seemingly satisfied with her answer, the claydol’s presence retreated out of my mind. No doubt in order to converse with others of its kind. The two inside this room are likely not the only ones living inside the relic castle.
----------------------------------------
It took them about half an hour to get back to us with their answer. I didn’t mind the waiting, spending time playing cards with my Pokémon. Phoebe and her banette joined us for a couple of rounds.
“Vi VI!” “Uno!”
I had the sneaking suspicion that Victini was cheating using her psychic abilities. This was the fifth game she had won in a row. Before learning the rules of the game, she lost constantly. Now she keeps getting winning hands. Of course, Phoebe and Banette are more impressed than angry by her cheating ways.
“That was very well played, Victini.”
“Nette Nette.”
The two claydol inside the room watched us finish the game before letting us know they came to a resolution.
“We have come to a decision. You may enter the main chamber and observe Sunny as she rests. We will communicate with Sunny inside her dreams. If she finds you appealing you will be allowed to take one of her eggs with you.”
“How come she can’t judge me herself?”
“In order to preserve her lifespan, she only wakes during the summer and spring seasons. Otherwise, she will remain in hibernation.”
“Wait, how old is she?”
“Sunny is currently four hundred and ninety-three cycles old. She is the third-generation child of our beloved sun.”
Most bug types didn’t live that long. Your standard beautifly or dustox will only last for about fifteen years with its trainer. Their average life expectancy is even shorter in the wild due to predation or poor nutrition. ‘To think this species can live for that long, they are truly mystical creatures.’
“We have arrived.”
The inner sanctum of this place was finely decorated. The depictions on the walls clearly showing scenes of a catastrophe that struck this place thousands of years ago. Black clouds covered the skies, scenes of crops dying out coupled with failed harvests. The next scenes showed the sun depicted as a Volcarona saving the people and Pokémon that were almost wiped out due to the absence of sunlight.
At the end of the room stood a huge silken nest with a single occupant. Propped upward by her silken throne the human sized moth Pokémon was resting.
Volcarona, the Sun Pokémon. A Bug and Fire type. Volcarona emerged from a flaming cocoon. It scatters burning scales from its six wings, bathing the area in a sea of fire. When volcanic ash darkened the atmosphere, it is said that Volcarona's fire provided a replacement for the sun. It appears during bitterly cold winters and saves Pokémon from freezing.
“Wow…”
Our entire group was stunned by the majestic bearing of this Pokémon. The Pokédex entry fanning the flames of our admiration, even Victini was properly impressed by Volcarona.
“Not many visitors are allowed inside this room. You two are part of only a handful of humans that have been inside this sanctuary these past hundred cycles.”
“Wait other humans have made it here before us?”
“Yes, some odd forty cycles ago a red-haired young human came here for the first time and left a lasting impression on Sunny. He is one of the few that she has deemed worthy enough to bestow one of her children onto.”
“Red hair? Did this man go by the name of Alder per chance?”
“Yes, I believe that is what he called himself.”
‘So, this is the place he received his ace team member. Alder has been keeping the secret of this place to himself for all these years. Understandable if trainers knew about this location, they would come here in droves to get a larvesta for their own teams. The more dubious characters would aim to capture this enchanting creature by force.’
“How will Sunny determine if I am worthy or not?”
“She observes you in your natural state. We have been showing her images of you playing this ‘card game’ with your companions. If her impression of your character is a positive one, we will bestow onto you one of the children.”
“Wait, that was a test!?”