We packed up the camp efficiently the next morning (which wasn’t hard, we’d barely taken anything out). Even Jordan and Sudowoodo were ready in no time at all, despite the fact that they’d apparently been camping out at the cave for a long time; they had very few possessions between the two of them, and what little they did have fit into a sack that Jordan easily swung over his shoulder. That meant we were able to resume our hike by the time I’d normally consider waking up.
Not that the walk was easy. It took us two whole days to hike from the base of the Union Hills to a place where we could see Violet City, and those days were certainly eventful. First we had to fight an Aipom that had decided a tree right next to the path and everything around it was its territory. Then we needed to chase a whole cluster of Bellsprout away from the clearing that Isaac wanted to sleep in for the second night. Then a giant Ursaring that was wandering far outside of its territory got interested in the smell of our lunch, which gave us all a proper scare. And that’s not even getting into how I almost fell off the edge of a cliff when I got distracted watching a Pidgeot soar through the air above, leading a flock of smaller Pidgey and Pidgeotto through the sky.
But by early evening on that second day, we finally reached the southern approach to Violet City. And frankly, it was not what I was expecting. I had planned for the Violet that I’d seen in the future, a peaceful town dedicated to education and spirituality. I should have realized from my experience with the ‘Plains of Goldenrod’ that most of the region wouldn’t be as unchanged as Azalea.
We noticed changes in the surroundings even before we reached the city. An unusual number of trees in the forest had been knocked down, and one section had been burnt to a crisp, leaving a patch of dead land surrounded by healthy forest. There were also several areas where trees and undergrowth were wilting and dying, their colors pale and sickly.
Then, as the trees around the path started to thin away, we could finally see the entrance of the city. A tall wooden wall rose up intimidatingly high, and the wall was covered in scorch marks. An entrance through the wall stood at the end of the path, but it was entirely inaccessible; something had heaved up the dirt around the end of the path and thrust it upwards into a massive pile that completely blocked the gate. I could just barely make out the tops of buildings standing within the walls when I craned my neck back, but I couldn’t see the iconic top of Sprout Tower. Maybe it was too far back to be visible from where we stood?
We were all silent as we stared at the damaged wall. I imagined that the others were thinking the same thing I was: what kind of Pokemon battle could do this much damage to the surroundings? And this wasn’t even the main place where the wild brawl was taking place; how much worse must the western entrance be?
After a minute or two had passed Isaac shook his head briskly, as if to clear it. “Well, we knew the situation must be bad for Violet to call in reinforcements,” he said dryly. “The plan was for everyone to meet in the ruins, correct? We should go join them there. The message said there should be a path near the south entrance…”
“I know the way,” Jordan said quietly. I looked behind me to see that he was standing near the back of the group; he looked smaller, somehow, as he stared up at the city walls. He frowned and tore his gaze away from the city, then left the path to walk off towards the right. “It is not a long walk from here. I’ll show you.”
We all followed quietly, worn out from three days of walking and more than ready to reach our destination. At first the walk was like all the previous hiking we had done, surrounded by the sounds of the forest and with occasional distractions in the form of wild Pokemon that called from high branches of trees or raced across the trail. But then, slowly, the usual sounds and sights faded away until we were walking in complete silence. It made my skin prickle. Something about the environment felt just not right. Pausso clearly felt it too, and he rubbed his arms as he walked next to me, his sense of unease mingling with my own nervousness in our mental bond.
Then, without warning, we broke clear of the trees and could see the Ruins of Alph standing in all their glory in front of us. I had been to the ruins once before on vacation, and the site looked exactly the same now as it had then. Sure, there weren’t the crowds of tourists or the modern research station that I had seen before, but the stone houses, temples, and statues looked like they hadn’t aged a day (or de-aged by three hundred years, as was actually the case).
It suddenly stuck me as odd that the whole area was so clear. We had just spent days traveling through land that was covered with trees and greenery. Why hadn’t the forest taken over the ruins as well?
“Looks like the others are camped over there,” Jordan said, pointing to where a thin stream of smoke rose into the sky behind one of the buildings. I resettled my travel sack over my shoulders and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Smoke meant a campfire, and a campfire meant maybe I would get to eat a hot meal instead of the same old travel rations that had quickly gotten boring.
In hardly any time we made our way around the building and saw the group that was waiting for us. Five people sat or stood around the fire with five Pokemon at their sides. I actually stopped walking for a moment, feeling disoriented; I hadn’t seen that many trainers gathered in one place in months, since before I had been pulled back in time.
I got over the feeling quickly, though, when I realized that I recognized one of them.
“Trainer Michael!” Florence called out in delight, waving at him eagerly. “You came to help in the battle too?”
Michael stood up from where he had been crouched near the fire, his Hoothoot on his shoulder. His hair had grown a bit longer since he had left us at Azalea, but otherwise he looked the same. He smiled at us, but his eyes were confused. “It is good to see you all, but – well, what are you all doing here?”
“I thought Jeremiah’s apprentice was going to come,” a man who wore his hair in a topknot said. Some type of ghost Pokemon hovered behind his back, its face just visible over his shoulder.
“He was unable to attend due to a family emergency,” Isaac said smoothly. “We came in his place.”
Another man – one with a military look about him, who was sitting next to the Fearow we had met before – scowled. “You look like you are not a trainer, so why come here? And why bring a girl and a child with you? What use could they be in this operation?”
“Offense taken!” a cheerful voice piped up from the other side of the fire. I craned my neck around to see a boy with messy green hair lying a short distance away from the campfire, half-leaning on a bulky-looking Pokemon that was covered in a lot of brown fur. I blinked at the boy in surprise; he couldn’t be more than eight years old at my guess.
Isaac looked taken aback by the military man’s brusque words, but after a moment he straightened up with a smile. “The two children are here because, despite their age, they are trainers. I came along to guide them and to assist if I can. My name is Isaac Pine, and I am a researcher of majū.”
“Wait.” The man with the topknot leaned forward, and his eyes sparked with interest. “Isaac Pine – as in the Professor Pine who wrote the pamphlet on the potential addition of Dark-types to the classifications of majū?”
Isaac beamed at the man. “I am hardly a professor,” he said with a chuckle, “but yes, I did circulate some thoughts on the reclassification of Murkrow and a few known moves into their own type a few years ago.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you!” topknot-man replied, standing up and striding forward to shake Isaac’s hand. “I found your work most interesting. Have you seen the recent circulation from Mahogany on Sneasel? They believe that the potential Dark-type may extend to –”
“Gentlemen, now is not the time for chit-chat,” the military man interrupted, glaring at the two men. Then he shifted his gaze to me. “So, you children claim to be trainers? What are your qualifications?”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
I gulped, nearly ready to apologize and back away, but Pausso sent me a wave of determination (only lightly tinged with annoyance) through our bond before I could do so. I forced myself to stand up straight and look as confident as I could manage. “I’m Monroe, and this is my partner Drowzee. We’ve only been together for a few months, but we’ve learned a lot and have won battles with lots of wild majū, even a Quagsire. Just because we’re young doesn’t mean we can’t fight.”
The man let out a ‘hmph’ sound, then turned to look at Florence. To my surprise, she bowed slightly before speaking. “I am Florence. To be honest, I am not worthy of the title of trainer. I have known Hoppip for less than a week, and we still have trouble understanding each other. But I want to help if I can.” Next to her Hoppip trilled at the sound of his name and bounced up into the air, then slowly floated back down.
“At least you are honest,” the man said dryly. Then he looked at Jordan. “And you? Have you known your partner for just a day?”
I glanced behind me at Jordan, half expecting him to laugh at the man. Jordan looked oddly nervous, though, with his eyes on the ground and his arms crossed over his chest. “Name’s Jordan,” he said gruffly. “This is my partner Sudowoodo. We have been together for several years now.”
The other man raised an eyebrow. “And?”
Now Jordan’s head snapped up, and there was a new fire in his eyes. “And we have done plenty in that time. We’ve travelled all over Johto! The two of us navigated the Ice Path and took care of a Tauros herd that was causing problems over at Olivine last year. We saved this lot –" he gestured roughly at Isaac, Florence, and myself – “from a rogue Onix down in Union Cave just a month ago. I bet we can beat any of you in a battle, easy.” Next to him, Sudowoodo jabbed his limbs into the air and called out “Sudo!” in agreement.
The military man looked taken aback, but Michael chuckled. “You seem quite sure of yourself,” he said with a grin. Jordan didn’t reply; he just flushed and ducked his head.
“I remember you, Trainer Jordan,” a quiet voice said from the back of the group. The last trainer, a man with short dreadlocks who hadn’t spoken yet, stepped closer to the group. “You came to Cherrygrove two springs ago to help with an infestation that had taken over our crops.” The Corsola he held in his arms chirped and waved its stubby arms in agreement. “It is alright, Trainer Edwin. They are hard workers.”
Edwin – the military man – sighed, then shook his head. “I suppose beggars cannot be choosers,” he said gruffly. “Fine. Welcome, all four of you. I am Trainer Edwin of Violet City, and this is my partner, Fearow.” The bird perched by his side cawed a greeting, and he absently ran a hand over the comb on its head soothingly.
“I am Hisayuki, of Ecruteak,” the man with the topknot said, bowing to us all as he smiled. “You may call me Hisa if you wish. My partner is – now, Misdreavus, where have you gone?”
The ghost that had haunted his shadow before had disappeared at some point during the conversation. I looked around, wondering where it was, then shrieked when the Misdreavus shot up from the ground behind me and leered right in my face.
Hisa sighed and covered his eyes with a hand. “My apologies, Trainer Monroe. My partner is quite… mischievous.” He glanced through his fingers at me, and I could almost swear that his eyes twinkled.
The man with the Corsola cleared his throat awkwardly, then raised a hand in greeting. “I am Trainer Kiah, and this is Corsola.” The little water Pokemon in his arms trilled a greeting and wiggled its arms back and forth. “We come from Cherrygrove.”
Finally, the young boy who had been lying on the ground sprung up to his feet and grinned at us all. “I’m Luca! And my buddy here is Piloswine.” The brown lump standing next to him snorted and shook its fur briskly. “We’re from Mahogany. Nice to meet you all!”
I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to sort out all the names in my head. Edwin and Fearow, Hisa and Misdreavus, Kiah and Corsola, Luca and Piloswine. Not to mention Michael and Hoothoot, and Jordan and Sudowoodo too. It would be hard to keep everything in my head all at once.
“So, everyone has been introduced? Good,” Edwin said, standing up and dusting himself off. “The group from Azalea is the last to arrive, so if there are no objections, I can –”
“Wait, we are the last group?” Jordan interrupted with a frown. “Is no one coming from Olivine?”
Edwin glared at him before replying. “It seems not. My partner gathered initial responses from each city, and Olivine replied with a negative.”
Hisa stroked the short, scruffy beard on his chin in thought. “Olivine has acted strange ever since the previous primary trainer retired. It is concerning, but I have not had the opportunity to send someone to investigate.”
Edwin shook his head. “They have gotten almost as bad as Blackthorn,” he said, his voice a low growl.
“It is a thorny problem indeed,” Hisa replied, smiling. His Misdreavus peaked out from behind his head and cackled loudly.
The military man narrowed his eyes at Hisa in suspicion; then he turned to look at the rest of us. “As I was saying: if there are no objections, I can send for the general. We can come up with a battle plan tonight, then attack tomorrow.”
“So soon?” Isaac asked, sounding surprised. “Why the hurry?”
“You travelled by the southern entrance to Violet, correct?” Michael asked, his voice subdued. We all nodded. “You have not seen the west entrance, where the center of the fighting is. The land is devastated, and the damage spreads further every day. It would be irresponsible for us to let the fighting go on longer than it must.”
“Indeed,” Edwin said, his voice harsh. Then he turned to look his Fearow in the eye. “Partner, will you go fetch the general and let him know it is time?”
The Fearow chirped – an odd sound from such a large creature – and awkwardly waddled backwards to give itself room. Then the bird launched itself into the air, quickly shooting off back in the direction of the city.
Once Fearow had left, most of the trainers settled back down to do whatever they had been doing before. Hisa rushed back over to Isaac and pulled him into a conversation, saying something about how he wanted to pick the man’s brain on the similarities between ghost and dark types. Florence marched right over to where Michael had sat back down by the fire, and I followed after her.
“So,” Michael said awkwardly as his Hoothoot hooted a greeting at us. “I see you did manage to bond a majū, Florence. I suppose that proves that Trainer Richard was right after all.”
“Not exactly,” Florence admitted as she sat next to Michael on one of the half-crumbled rocks. Hoppip shot a dubious look at the campfire before scampering over to sit on the rock next to her. “We managed to recreate Monroe’s poke ball, and Hoppip is one of the first majū we caught. I am training with him, but I would not say we are truly bonded.”
Michael leaned back and whistled. “You successfully replicated that strange device? Impressive.” He drummed his fingers on his knee, then looked over at where Isaac was talking with Hisa. “Is that why Isaac is here, to test the devices on the wild majū that are fighting?”
“Partially,” I said, finding my own seat on the uneven rocks. Pausso took one look at the seating options and snorted, choosing to sit cross-legged in the dirt instead. “Michael, it’s good to see you, but isn’t a giant brawl more Richard’s thing?”
Michael laughed shortly. “Oh, Trainer Richard wanted to come as soon as we got the news. But you know his partner; Tentacruel cannot travel over land. And given how far inland the fighting is, it seemed unlikely he would be able to contribute.” He looked into the fire, his eyes troubled. “To be honest, I was not sure that my partner and I should come either. But most of the other villages in the Plains have only one trainer, and I did not want our area to go entirely unrepresented.”
I took a moment to process that. There was more than one nomadic group in the Goldenrod plains? I supposed that made sense, since it was a big area with lots of resources.
“Besides,” Michael continued, “we had a relatively easy journey here. Our village has already travelled halfway up the coast for the summer, and Hoothoot and I travel light, so we arrived here after only a day and a half. Some of the others had more difficult journeys. Like Trainer Kiah – the eastern entrance to Violet had collapsed by the time he arrived, so he had to force his way through majū-controlled territory to arrive here.”
I glanced over at the slim man who sat a little separately from everyone else, talking in a quiet voice with his Corsola. If his trip had been anything like my past experiences with Ilex and Union Cave, I didn’t envy him at all.
“I am talking too much, though,” Michael said with a small shrug. “Tell me about the progress the two of you have made these past two months. And I want to know about this mysterious new trainer who came with your group – who is he, exactly?”
So we spent a while telling Michael all about training with Smith, and the work we had done on designing the poke balls, and the hike up from Azalea with Jordan. In return, Michael told us more about the other trainers in the group and how the people in Florence’s village were doing. I found myself liking Michael better now than I had before. He seemed more relaxed when he wasn’t constantly acting suspicious about me, though he also seemed a little tense about the upcoming fight. I couldn’t blame him for it; now that I knew we might be fighting the wild Pokemon tomorrow, my own stomach felt a little queasy.
The sun was halfway through setting when Edwin’s Fearow returned from his errand, carrying a tall box by a string held in his beak. This turned out to be a giant stack of bento boxes that had been sent back for us to eat, courtesy of Violet’s military force. I was so hungry that when I saw the relatively simple rice, vegetables, and meat that were arranged in the box, I dug right into the food, not even caring that it had gotten cold during the flight. I tried to offer Pausso some of the vegetables (he had been getting grumpy the past few nights and complaining about not getting enough to eat), but he refused the food, his trunk twitching.
Then, when I was almost finished eating, a figure appeared from between the trees. I squinted, finding it hard to see the person in the dim light. Edwin apparently didn’t have any trouble; he immediately stood up and adopted a rigid pose, standing at attention. His Fearow stood next to him with his wings folded back tightly and his head held proudly upright. “The general approaches!” Edwin told us, a new light shining in his eyes.