Beyond the Adventure - A Pokémon Story

Chapter 14: A Dream Revelation pt1

                Mount Pyre looms over the horizon in the distance.  A flock of blue and white birds flies under us.  Jess says they are Wingull, and goes on to say that she had one at one point until it got struck by lightning during a storm when they summoned Kyogre.  She buried it at Mount Pyre.  I ask her if she would like to stop, but she says she did not feel much attachment to it.  As we get closer, I feel an ominous presence emanating from the mountain.  The hair on my arms stand on end and I feel prickles on the back of my neck.  It is a feeling I have not felt since first entering the Ruins of Alph.  The sensation brings back a flood of memories and emotions, both good and bad.

                Jess turns Articuno sharply before reaching the mountain.  Skarmory squawks with surprise from within my jacket, jostled by the sudden turn.  I soothe the little bird, cooing softly as he drifts back into a slumber.  I close my jacket back up and look out at the mountain.  Up on the peak, staring at us, is a strangely familiar four-legged creature.  The creature is silhouetted in the lowering sun, but the long curved horn on its head stands out.  It looks just like the Absol from earlier!  I think there is no way it could be the same one; we are pretty far from where we released it.  I look up at Darius and call out to him.  “Hey, buddy!  There’s another one of those Absols you want!”  Darius keeps looking forward and does not react.  He clearly does not hear me.  I look back at the Absol, but it is gone.  I get a weird feeling in my gut.

                As we finally pass Mount Pyre, the area opens into scattered woods with a cleared path.  Jess informs me that the path leads between Lilycove City, home of the Hoenn-famous department store, and Fortree City, where people actually make their homes inside massive trees.  As awesome as that sounds, the sight that appears before us looks even better.  A vast clearly sits within the surrounding trees, rife with lakes, streams, rolling hills, and even a small mountain.  The area is huge, stretching well beyond the horizon.

                “Hey, what is that?” I ask Jess.

                “Oh, hey, that looks like the Hoenn Safari Zone,” Jess says.

                “Safari Zone?” I ask.

                “It’s a giant wildlife preserve to help protect endangered species,” she explains.  “When Mauville was constructed, it damaged the habitats of many Pokémon.  The Pokémon were losing their homes and some species became endangered, so someone created the Safari Zone.”

                “A wildlife preserve, huh?”  I think on this.  The idea sounds amazing!  A place where Pokémon can live in peace and harmony.  No people, no trainers, no battles.  The idea thrills me.

                “Yep,” Jess continues.  “The park limits how many Pokémon trainers can catch to ensure none of the species go below a certain threshold.”

                “Oh…”  There goes that dream.  “Well, can we go see it?”

                Jess looks back at me.  She furrows her brow, then nods.  “Sure, why not?”  Jess puts two fingers in her mouth and whistles sharply.  “HEY KALOS BOY!  WE’RE LANDING!”

                Darius looks back and gives us the thumbs up.  Both Talonflame and Articuno dive for the ground below.  Skarmory squawks to life from within my jacket as the sudden dive and starts flapping wildly.  I soothe it as we swoop down and land gracefully near the entrance to the park.  As we hop off Articuno, a few people gather around us, staring at Jess’ bird in awe.  Jess frowns and pulls Articuno into her ball.  “Yeah, it’s an Articuno!  What of it?!” she yells at the people.  The gawkers mutter to themselves as they disperse.